A strong contingent from the MCU was delighted to attend the landmark ‘Championing Female Leaders’ conference at Croke Park on Saturday 14th September. Coinciding with the Ireland V England Women’s T20I match at Clontarf Cricket Club that afternoon, the event explored the growing momentum behind women’s sports and discussed practical ways to elevate visibility and opportunities for women and girls in sports- a theme that is central to the development of the game here in Munster.
The event was MC’d by sports presented Gráinne McElwain, and featured a range of panelists from cricket and beyond, including sports broadcaster Ryle Nugent, CEO of Premier Sports and former Group Head of Sport at RTÉ; Mohammed Mahomed, Co-Founder at Her Sport; Orla Stevens, Managing Director of Certa; and Kelli O’Keeffe, Managing Director of Teneo Sport and Sponsorships – among many others. These experts shared their experiences and perspectives on advancing female leadership in sports.
Speaking about the event, Elaine Nolan, Director of Strategy and Growth at Cricket Ireland, said:
“The growth of women’s sport is undeniable, and in cricket it’s no different. Participation growth has led to women and girls now accounting for 22% of our player base across Ireland, up from 9% in 2013.
Cricket Ireland is committed to enhancing visibility and creating meaningful pathways for female athletes and leaders. While we’ve made progress, there’s still more to be done, and that’s what this event is about—sparking discussions on how we can build a more equitable and thriving sports landscape for women.”
Munster Cricket was well represented by women from clubs in our province as well as MCU staff members – their interest and presence was noted and appreciated by the Munster women in attendance. The central theme was the next steps in our journey to increasing female involvement at all levels of our sport.
Over the last 4 years this leadership programme has been available and open to women from all over Ireland, who have an interest in and connection to Cricket.
The significance of the first live broadcast by Virgin Media on Irish free-to-air television of the Ireland V England Women’s T20i at Clontarf CC later that day was not lost on us. We had the chance to reunite with fellow participants, network with domestic and international cricket personnel and the panel discussions with leading female leaders and allies – all topped off by a brilliant game of cricket against our neighbours, kindly hosted at Clontarf Cricket Club.
Thank you to the organisers and gracious hosts, Cricket Ireland, and everyone from all over the island of Ireland who attended and contributed in any way to this memorable and successful day.
Adre Vosloo | Cork Harlequins CC
I was thrilled to be invited as a panellist at the Championing Female Leaders event at Croke Park on Saturday 14th September, and share my story with such a diverse and talented group of guests and speakers. My motivation has remained consistent since day one (when I started as a parent helper in my local cricket club), to today, where I hold key positions in cricket. Our goal must be to provide as many people as possible, regardless of circumstances, the opportunity to participate in cricket at all levels.
Being in a room with others who share this passion and vision is both enlightening and invigorating. We all left the conference feeling recharged and ready to lead this wonderful game of cricket forward in a positive direction.
Sukhi Byrne | Cork Harlequins CC | Cricket Ireland Board Munster Nominee
To be seated in a room of women & men of Irish cricket at Croke Park was in itself a powerful metaphor for progress and evolution in Irish sport and for myself personally-the little girl growing up in 80’s Co Kerry watching her heroic Kerry football team blast the ball in that giant stadium loved a good game. She didn’t know herself as she had never done it. She kicked a ball with her brother and uncle in the yard and she even played training matches with the boys up at the pitch, but playing an interclub match was not an option for her. Strange to think it now, but that girl didn’t even know it was questionable or wrong. Noone else around her seemed to mind either.
On Saturday, the room was full of the love of a good game, cricket this time. The women and men who spoke of it , spoke of limitations and potential, development opportunities for women in Irish cricket. They spoke of leadership capabilities. Strong words resonated around the room and heads nodded in unison- growth, empowerment, passion and more fierce talk even urged doors to be kicked off hinges!
The difference this time in 2024, is I am right in the middle of this game. I’ve learned cricket is a uniquely long game of strategy and positioning, specific placement of ball & person and of course that beautiful elusive part of a good game – timing.
I am playing now and I’m not coming off the pitch anytime soon !
Maria Van De Munckhof | Limerick CC | Chairperson Munster Cricket Union Women & Girls Committee.
As a graduate of Cricket Ireland’s On the Front Foot 2023 programme I was invited to attend the Female Leadership conference in Croke Park. It was a fantastic opportunity for networking, bouncing ideas off people and solving challenges on how to continue to grow women’s and girl’s cricket at club, provincial level and beyond.
To see the girl mascots walking out with both Irish and English international senior women teams it really does make me wonder what else can be achieved by championing female leadership. And to see the rise of global female cricket franchise leagues shows how far the sport has progressed especially to see Irish international Orla Prendergast playing in both the ODI series and the T20 matches and soon in the tenth edition of the Australian Women’s Big Bash League in October.
I would like to thank Elaine Nolan, Emma Butler and Ali Nolan for giving all the past alumni of the Front Foot programme this opportunity to re-energise us and build on this unstoppable momentum of female leadership in cricket.
Evelyn Maxfield | Co. Galway CC
This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Championing Female Leaders conference at Croke Park, alongside the T20 international between Ireland and England. It was an inspiring experience filled with insightful discussions and real progress for women’s cricket in Ireland.
As I left Croke Park, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far women’s cricket in Ireland has come, thanks to the commitment of leaders like Elaine Nolan, Emma Butler and Ali Nolan and the growing support from organisations like Cricket Ireland. The momentum is undeniable, and both the conference and the match gave me a real sense that the future of women’s cricket, and women’s sport as a whole, is full of exciting possibilities.
Saadia Mahmood | Limerick CC
Attending the Championing Female Leaders conference was both inspiring and empowering. Key themes included insights and experiences from On The Front Foot programme graduates, fostering inclusion, and the importance of visibility of women and girls in cricket and in leadership—topics that deeply resonated with my own journey.
The icing on the cake was watching my daughter, Iraira from Cork County Cricket Club, serve as the mascot for the Ireland vs. England T20 cricket match—a truly surreal experience. Seeing her proudly walk out onto the field, hand-in-hand with professional players, filled me with immense pride and joy. The excitement in her eyes and the overwhelming energy of the stadium were unforgettable. It wasn’t just about the game; it was about watching Iraira’s confidence grow, witnessing her ideals and love for cricket blossom, and feeling inspired. It’s a heartwarming memory that will last forever.
Rashi Mukhopadhyay | Cork County CC | MCU Treasurer
It was fantastic to attend the event and be challenged to think in new and innovative ways about leadership.
The conference was a half day professional development and networking event created to provide a platform outside of the workplace to educate, encourage and inspire the MCU staff to develop and support the next generation of female leaders in the MCU.
Special thanks to Elaine , Ali and Emma for giving us the opportunity to attend.
Joseph Moynihan | CEO of Munster Cricket
