Derbyshire continues progression of EDI initiatives

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is pleased to share with Members, supporters and stakeholders the latest steps the Club has taken to increase inclusion across the county.

Below, we take a look at what Derbyshire County Cricket Club is doing to ensure better representation in cricket.

Racism and discrimination

All-rounder, Anuj Dal, recently spoke of the need for education around the topic across the game and beyond, and the Club has led the way on this, with HR & Safeguarding Director and EDI lead on the Board, Jo Franco-Wheeler, running EDI training sessions with all staff across the Club, tailored for players/coaches, off-field and stewards.

Almost 40% of Non-Executive Directors on the Derbyshire Board are either female or from a Black or Asian Ethnic minority background, among the most diverse in county cricket. Former player, Adrian Rollins, has been appointed to the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation Board, and the Club has also implemented a governance process, which has been worked on since 2020, to ensure the Club better represents the local community.

The Club has set up a dedicated reporting discrimination page, so that any current or former players, staff or supporters can speak out safely and confidently about any discrimination they have suffered.

Local cricket

In terms of aiding local cricket, Derbyshire has helped Invest £330,000 into club facilities, while the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation has proved instrumental in growing the women and girls game across the county.

Almost 500 Women have played softball cricket across the county over the last year – a 66% increase since 2019, while 36 local clubs now have Women’s teams in Derbyshire, with that number expected to grow to more than 45 in the next 12 months.

Junior Cricket

Junior cricket has also received a boost in the region, with almost 2,000 hours of coaching delivered in 110 primary schools reaching 12,000 children across Derbyshire.

Over 160 different activity sessions provided through the government Holiday Activity Fund (HAF), with 728 Children engaged in the sessions providing 1271 meals in deprived Wards within the City.

The Club, in partnership with the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation, has launched the Access to Cricket Grant, to enable more people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in playing the game or engaging in cricket education programmes.