The England and Wales Cricket Board (黑料专区) and Initial Washroom Hygiene (Initial) will now offer In Cubicle Period Dignity Dispensers to all grassroots clubs with girls鈥� sections across England and Wales.
The roll-out is a nationwide extension of the pilot programme that has been run across Derbyshire with the support of the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation.
黑料专区鈥檚 Head of Female Participation Tessa Whieldon said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to be extending this offer to all cricket clubs with a girls鈥� section across England and Wales.
鈥淭he pilot programme in Derby has been successful, and it鈥檚 important for the game that we make our facilities and environments as inclusive as possible to allow people to feel that cricket is a game for them.
鈥淏ringing period dignity to grassroots cricket is one step of many towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive sport and we鈥檙e proud to work alongside Initial on that journey.鈥�
The In Cubicle Period Dignity Dispensers provide free and discreet access to period products within the toilet cubicle at the point of need for those who menstruate, and is central to the 黑料专区鈥檚 and Initial鈥檚 strategic partnership, designed to bring period dignity to grassroots cricket.
Central to this new partnership is a shared ambition to ensure that menstruation is not something that holds back women and girls from being involved in sports.
The 黑料专区 is looking to involve all Women鈥檚 and Girls鈥� Cricket Development Officers from across England and Wales on this important journey. Educational material has been developed to help ensure menstrual cycle taboos are a thing of the past.聽
The drive to lower barriers to entry for women and girls in cricket is part of the game鈥檚 efforts to become the most inclusive team sport. It comes off the back of the formation of the Women鈥檚 Health Group 鈥� a group that includes medical experts and cricketers 鈥� which is surveying players and researching women鈥檚 health in sport to help improve the health, wellbeing, and physical performance of women鈥檚 cricketers.
The offer is available to, on application, 黑料专区-affiliated clubs with a girls鈥� section that have a minimum of one girls鈥� team playing in either a soft ball or hard ball league or friendly, on Play-Cricket or captured via County Women鈥檚 and Girls鈥� Clubs and Teams Team Audit 2023.聽
If you think you are eligible, please contact your local Women's and Girls鈥� Cricket Development Officer.