On June 21, 2024, the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced the launch of a new competition designed to encourage and support the next generation of female cricket broadcasting talent.
In collaboration with Sky Sports and Take Her Lead, MCC introduced the “MCC’s Young Female Broadcaster of the Year” initiative. This program aims to increase opportunities for young women aspiring to build a career in cricket media, particularly in broadcasting.
The competition unites three organizations committed to enhancing gender equality and inclusivity in cricket and sport: MCC, Sky Sports, and Take Her Lead. Each organization is dedicated to promoting and growing women’s sports in their respective capacities.
Targeting aspiring female cricket broadcasters aged 18-24, the competition invites participants to submit video or audio showreels featuring match commentary, match reports, or presenter clips as their entry.
For the evaluation, a judging panel will be formed comprising representatives from MCC, Sky Sports, and current broadcasters, chaired by Isa Guha on behalf of Take Her Lead. This panel will select a winner and five runners-up. These finalists will be invited to Lord’s for England’s Women’s T20 International against New Zealand on Wednesday, July 17. During the day, they will have the opportunity to meet the Sky and BBC teams working on the live match coverage.
The winner will be invited back to spend the day at the iconic J.P. Morgan Media Centre at Lord’s, joining the Sky Sports team for their live broadcast coverage of The Hundred Final at Lord’s on Sunday, August 18. Additionally, the winner will receive training with Sky Sports and Take Her Lead in preparation for The Hundred Final.
This initiative is particularly significant given recent data from the NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists), UK, which highlights the ongoing underrepresentation of females in journalism and sports journalism. The latest Diversity in Journalism survey reported that 59% of journalists were male.
Katie Maier, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at MCC expressed her excitement about collaborating with Sky Sports and Take Her Lead to enhance career opportunities for young women in cricket, particularly in broadcasting. “We are delighted to be working with Sky Sports and Take Her Lead to help increase opportunities for young women to develop careers in cricket, and in particular broadcasting, through this initiative.”
Maier emphasized the unique chance this initiative offers, allowing participants to gain firsthand experience from a top-tier sports broadcasting team. “It’s an amazing opportunity for someone to spend a day in the J.P. Morgan Media Centre and gain valuable experience direct from a world-leading sports broadcasting team.”
Isa Guha, Founder of Take Her Lead, emphasized the significance of the campaign in addressing the under-representation of females in sports broadcasting and providing support to young women aspiring to succeed in the industry. “This campaign is really important in both acknowledging and highlighting the under-representation of females in sports broadcasting as well as offering support and encouragement to young women who want to thrive in the industry.”
She expressed her enthusiasm for the potential talent emerging from the competition and encouraged passionate individuals with broadcasting talent to apply. “I look forward to seeing the talent that comes through this competition and supporting those we can through Take Her Lead initiatives. If you have ambition, broadcasting talent and passion for cricket – apply now!”
Bryan Henderson, Head of Sky Sports, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Take Her Lead on MCC’s Young Female Broadcaster of the Year initiative, which aims to nurture the future stars of cricket broadcasting. “We are thrilled to partner with Take Her Lead on MCC’s Young Female Broadcaster of the Year initiative to support the future stars of cricket broadcasting. Sky Sports covers an unrivalled range of women’s sport and has proudly covered women’s cricket since 1996, helping the sport to continue to grow and thrive.”
He emphasized Sky Sports’ commitment to expanding opportunities for women entering the broadcast industry and the anticipation of welcoming the winner to their team. “We’re committed to increasing opportunities for women taking their first steps within the broadcast industry and look forward to the winner joining our broadcast team for The Hundred Final at Lord’s.”
For those who are interested, for more information and to enter the competition, check out Lord’s website. The closing date for entries is midday on Thursday 27 June 2024.