We’re gaining a reputation for professional women’s sport
Date published:
The Chamber’s latest column for The Journal by Tim Marsden, knowledge manager
Our region has supported talent from across the cultural spectrum – Rowan Atkinson, Brian Johnson, Sting, Ridley Scott.
The North East has a long and rich history of delivering some of the brightest sporting stars to the world stage – Bobby Robson, Sarah Hunter, Jill Scott, Steve Cram.
Local athletes competing in the Paris Olympics include Scott Lincoln, Samantha Redgrave, Kate Waugh, Kieran Reilly.
We are home to some of the biggest sporting brands from across the spectrum – from football, rugby and cricket to golf and basketball.
Earlier this year, Newcastle United secured promotion to the Women’s Championship, a remarkable achievement for a team which was officially integrated into the club in 2022. The team turned fulltime in June 2023 and has achieved back-to-back titles.
Newcastle United Women will be joining Sunderland Ladies and Durham Women in the upper echelons of women’s football in England.
With the news that Durham Cricket has been selected as one of the eight counties that will have its own professional women’s cricket team in 2025, we are seeing a marked shift in the attitude towards sport – and women’s sport – in the North East.
The award, run by a competitive tender process, is through the English Cricket Board (ECB), cricket’s governing body. This investment by the ECB means that a total of £8million in new funding per year will be invested into women’s domestic cricket by 2027 – taking annual investment in this area to £19million.
I know the team at Durham Cricket put a lot of hard work into the tender but the work to support inclusivity in the sport goes back much further. With the professional team starting in 2025, playing home games in Chester-le-Street, there will be a whole host of positive role models in the local area.
The government has also recently announced a £35million investment in grassroots cricket facilities, as well as widening access to the sport in state schools. This will be administered by Sport England.
The point to highlight here is that the North East is fast becoming nationally recognised for professional women’s sport. I’ve only mentioned football and cricket here, but there are a lot more positive examples.
I’d encourage you all to engage with your local club or sporting charity as a way of getting into sport. To pinch the official slogan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024: Games Wide Open.