Sustainable Futures for Women & Girls in Cricket: Designing a More Circular, Inclusive and Accessible Game

Audience
The workshop is designed for stakeholders involved in women’s and girls’ cricket, including players, coaches, clubs, governing bodies, manufacturers, retailers, kit and equipment designers, repair and reuse providers, sustainability professionals, researchers and other organisations working to support participation in the sport.

The workshop is free of charge, but places are limited to 25 participants, so early booking is strongly recommended to secure your place.

Programme
The programme will be facilitated by Professor Martin Charter and Dr Lilian Sanchez Moreno from The Centre for Sustainable Design® (CfSD) at UCA.

• 11:00-11:10    Registration and introductions
• 11:10-11:40    Introduction to the circular economy and PASIC research
  Focus on findings related to sustainability; gear lifetimes; reuse; repair/refurbishment; sustainable materials; gender differences; barriers to circularity. Establish connection between sustainability and the development of women’s and girls’ cricket.
• 11:40-12:10    Women’s cricket: the kit problem*
  Leigh Burns, Founder and CEO, Lacuna Sports: presentation on why female cricket wear was developed; fit, comfort, confidence, performance, design and the historical male-centric approach to cricket clothing and gear. Explore where sustainability intersects with women’s kit needs.
• 12:10-12:40    Surrey County Cricket Club*
  Emily Iveson-Pritchard, Head of Sustainability, The Kia Oval, Surrey County Cricket Club: what can a professional cricket organisation actually influence? Grounds, facilities, procurement, cricket gear, clothing, community programmes, players, partners and young cricketers.
• 12:40-1:15    Lunch break / Networking
• 1:15-2:00    Workshop 1: Mapping women’s/girls’ cricket journey
  Map the lifecycle of a female cricketer’s kit: buy → use → care → repair → replace → pass on/reuse → end of life. Identify environmental, financial and social barriers at each stage.
• 2:00-2:45    Workshop 2: What would a genuinely sustainable women’s cricket system look like?
  Discuss cost; availability of repair; performance concerns; hygiene/safety; appearance/stigma; lack of knowledge; fit; changing fashions; sponsorship; lack of take-back systems; access to second-hand kit; convenience.
• 2:45-3:30    Workshop 3: Design solution
  Develop one practical intervention. Examples: women’s cricket wear take-back scheme; women’s/girls’ kit bank; repair clinics; sustainable procurement framework; school-to-club reuse system; circular sponsorship model; repair tutorials; circular women’s cricket wear pilot.
• 3:30-3:40    Concept pitch
  Each group gives a 2-minute pitch. Participants vote against impact × feasibility × ability to scale.
• 3:40-4:00    Action plan discussion and concluding remarks

*To be confirmed

Registration
The event is free of charge, but you need to register via rcarruthers@uca.ac.uk by sending your Name, Surname, and Role/Job. On receipt, you will be sent confirmation and directions to the venue.

Funding
The event is part of the 2C project, funded by UKRI via University for the Creative Arts, AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).