| The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) Women’s Player Advisory Committee met this week in London and via teleconference. The meeting was attended by Heather Knight, Hayley Matthews, Alyssa Healy, Dane Van Niekerk, Mary Waldron, Amy Satterthwaite and Lisa Sthaleker. The meeting follows the FICA men’s Player Advisory Committee meeting held in May, and completes the 2018 structured Committee meetings.
The Committee discussed and debated cricket issues at length, including player views on:
- The importance of increasing access to and volume of cricket in the women’s game and of protecting and promoting the 50 over game as well as the T20 game
- The importance of clear scheduling windows to enable co-existence between domestic T20 and international cricket, especially given the key role of domestic T20 leagues in player development and career viability for women’s players
- Encouraging the introduction of age group ICC events for women’s players and clear pathways for smaller countries to develop and enter the ICC Women’s Championship
- Many players’ aspirations to play Test cricket, where it is possible to do so
- The quality of pitches and facilities as being critical to improving the women’s game around the world
- Encouraging the continued assessment of boundary sizes as the game evolves and playing standards improve
- Standard specifications and consistency of balls around the world
The Committee also discussed player employment issues and the preliminary findings of the FICA Women’s Global Player Employment Report, which is due to be released later this year. Some of the key issues discussed were:
- The short term, insecure, nature of player employment and career viability
- The significant discrepancy between how players are treated around the world and the need for minimum standards to ensure that as an industry, cricket is looking after its people
- The need for clarity for players around Codes, including Codes of Conduct, consistency in decision making, and ensuring the game balances its access to players with protecting their basic rights
The views and recommendations of the Committee will be discussed further by the FICA Executive and Board and will continue to inform FICA’s positions in its discussions with the ICC, Member Boards and other stakeholders.
Commenting on the meeting:
Heather Knight said:
“The first Committee meeting was an excellent discussion on some of the key issues in the global game and for players. As part of the FICA Player Advisory Committees we want to play our role in making sure players are collectively having their say on the future of the game.”
Lisa Sthalekar said:
“The players are at the heart of an exciting time for the women’s game. The game has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go, and players have an integral role to play in driving the growth of, and contributing to the direction of the game. These Committees are a big part of ensuring FICA is in the best position to accurately represent player views and to continue to work with the game on their behalf.”
About the FICA Player Advisory Committees
The Committees, comprised predominantly of current senior international players nominated by their home players’ association, complement FICA’s ongoing program of structured engagement with its member players’ associations and players around the world, to ensure it is accurately representing collective player views and interests at the global level.
The Committees each hold a structured annual meeting either in person or via tele-conference and also engage informally on a regular basis throughout the year. They focus on both cricketing and employment related issues that affect players globally.
The Committees play an important role in ensuring that players have a strong and unified voice on important issues at the top of the game.
The FICA Player Advisory Committees are
| Men’s |
Women’s |
| Ross Taylor (New Zealand) |
Heather Knight (England) |
| Jason Holder (West Indies) |
Hayley Matthews (West Indies) |
| William Porterfield (Ireland) |
Alyssa Healy (Australia) |
| Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) |
Dane Van Niekerk (Sth Africa) |
| Aaron Finch (Australia) |
Amy Satterthwaite (New Zealand) |
| JP Duminy (Sth Africa) |
Mary Waldron (Ireland) |
| Kyle Coetzer (Scotland) |
Lisa Sthalekar (FICA Board Member – Australia) |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) |
Tom Moffat (FICA Chief Operating Officer) |
| Vikram Solanki (FICA President – England) |
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| Graeme Smith (FICA Board Member – Sth Africa) |
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| Tom Moffat (FICA Chief Operating Officer) |
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