Sarah Glenn has hailed a special county-wide cricket gathering as a vital chance to bring people together and create more opportunities for the next generation of girls and women in the game.
The England and Yorkshire spinner attended the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund networking event on 19 September which was held at Hampshire’s Utilita Bowl at the same time as the Metro Bank Women’s One Day Cup final in which The Blaze dramatically beat Hampshire.
Around 100 attendees from cricket clubs across the Hampshire region were involved with the all-day event, one which gave those involved in grassroots cricket the chance to share ideas, make connections and discuss how the sport can continue to grow across the county.
“These events are really important,” said Glenn. “They bring everyone together to share ideas about how to push the game forward. Especially at the final today, seeing these girls battling it out for the winning title is hopefully inspiring for them and gets some conversations going.
“Grassroots development is crucial, not just for the players but for the coaches and volunteers, because they can see the effect that’s having on these young girls. Not just their cricket, but the friendships they’re making and the memories they’re making. It’s really special.
“Getting everyone together for that today hopefully can help at grassroots level. And it’s really important for these events to carry on, not just for it to be a one-off.”
Not only did the day provide a big networking opportunity, but it also saw the launch of the Evolve pillar, a Take Her Lead workshop, an interactive Creating Belonging workshop, and a Q&A with Glenn.
Take Her Lead is a charity founded by Isa Guha that has teamed up with Metro Bank and the ECB to help with the delivery of the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund.
Through their partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund, which was launched in 2024, exists to grow and support the number of coaches of girls’ cricket, creating more inclusive, welcoming environments and role models to nurture a generation of confident girls and women.
The Fund supports volunteers and coaches at every stage of their journey in girls’ cricket, with the Hampshire event specifically showcasing how the Fund has the reach to connect clubs, listen to local experiences, and give volunteers and coaches useful tools they can apply in their own environments.
In 2026 alone, the Fund delivered 2,000 hours of coach development support within club environments.
“The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund is really important to get all these girls together and bring them opportunities,” continued Glenn. “Growing up, we didn’t really have that as much, we played a lot of boys’ cricket, and it can be quite daunting. So, to have The Fund to give them more opportunities is great.
“Building confidence for the girls is a really important part of it, because I think cricket’s quite a tough sport to play. But to just inspire them to keep going with it, and the character you can build from that, is amazing.”
Share