The England and Wales Cricket Board (黑料专区) has unveiled 53 purple seats at Edgbaston ahead of the first ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup match on Friday.听听聽
The seats聽recognise聽53 women shaping the future of cricket, in a nod to the number of years since the inaugural Women鈥檚 Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1973.听听聽
The 53 illustrate the breadth, diversity and richness of the cricket community today, from those who played a starring role in England鈥檚 1973 World Cup winning team, to current and future voices of the聽game in broadcaster Nikki Kapoor-Chaudhuri and former England star turned commentator Isa Guha MBE. Also聽recognised聽are those creating opportunities for girls to find their place in cricket, like Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi and Mehwish Babar, plus true trailblazers such as Clare Connor CBE and the first female groundskeeper at Lord鈥檚 Cricket Ground, Meg Lay.听听
>>> See the 53 women recognised
The number has been selected given its symbolism, but the campaign exists to celebrate and inspire women of all backgrounds to play a role in the future of the game, to feel inspired by the stories, the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup and want to get involved - whether that's working, volunteering or playing, because they can see a place for themselves in cricket.听听
The purple seats have been installed into the stands for the duration of the tournament as a highly visible recognition of women who are shaping the future of the game for generations to come and whose everyday contributions keep the sport thriving - often behind the scenes. In a nod to the聽colour聽associated with the Suffragette movement, the seats act as visual markers of recognition - celebrating women who are not just elite athletes, but coaches, grassroots volunteers, community leaders, broadcasters, officials,聽organisers聽and changemakers who are changing the game at every level, showing that there is a place for everybody in cricket and inspiring other women and girls to want to get involved themselves.听听
Each seat聽represents聽a different name, with a QR code directing fans to read their individual stories. This transforms the iconic stadium into a living story space, where storytelling becomes part of the matchday experience.听听
One of the seats unveiled tells the story of聽Ayesha Rauf, who has made it her mission to ensure South Asian representation in cricket across Wales. The Cardiff-based coach has built the women and girls pathway at Llandaff Cricket Club from scratch and is determined to show that cricket is a space for them.听听聽聽聽
On seeing her very own purple seat at Edgbaston, she said:聽鈥淚t聽feels聽a bit聽emotional actually. It makes me feel like everything I do is making a difference, because I can see my name on the purple seat and it reminds me that I have and I am making a difference, and I鈥檓 being recognised for that as well.鈥澛�
She added:聽鈥淕rowing up in London then moving to Wales, I rarely saw women who looked like me involved in the game. The absence made me reflect on where I fit in the sport and more importantly, how I could help change that for others coming through. Being visible in this role matters and I take pride in contributing to a more diverse and welcoming game.鈥澛犅犅�
Also being celebrated is World Cup winner聽Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE聽who grew up as the only girl playing at school, before being talent spotted and going on to lift the World Cup trophy in 2009. She later founded the ACE (African Caribbean Engagement)聽Programme聽to address the lack of access - an initiative which has since engaged more than 40,000 young people, operating聽hubs聽and academies in six cities. In聽2023聽Ebony was also聽appointed聽a Non-Executive Director on the 黑料专区 Board.听听
She said:聽鈥淐ricket has聽opened up聽so many opportunities for me through my career and my message to women and girls considering getting involved in the game is that cricket needs you. Whatever your route in 鈥� playing, coaching, working,聽volunteering聽or following the sport 鈥� cricket has a space for you.鈥澛犅犅犅犅�
On unveiling the campaign,聽Kate Aldridge, Director of Business Operations and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at 黑料专区,聽said:聽鈥淭he ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup is set to be a brilliant celebration of our sport but it also provides an important platform to change perceptions and shift visibility. Through The 53 we are placing women鈥檚 stories,聽contributions聽and impact directly at the heart of one of the great stadiums of our sport.听听
鈥淲e want to spotlight a few of the incredible women across England and Wales who are thriving in the game,聽opening up聽access and being role models for the next generation. By giving these stories a platform, we hope people are inspired to get involved in the game across all roles and at every level.听听
鈥淎s we welcome the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup back to England and Wales, we鈥檙e proud to celebrate not just elite performance, but the dedication, passion and contributions of women who make up our game.鈥澛犅�
To read the stories of the 53 and find out more about getting involved in cricket, visit www.ecb.co.uk/the53.听听