On Friday, July 5th, Cricket United States of America (USA), the National Federation for Cricket in the United States, announced the U15 Girls’ National Championship, scheduled for July 19-21, 2024, in Dublin, California.
This inaugural U15 girls’ event is the next step in building a robust women’s cricket domestic pathway in the USA. It follows the establishment of an under-19 national championship and a senior national championship in 2021.
The championship’s format includes two Conference teams, East and West, competing in a best-of-five T20 series. Each Conference team comprises players from various intraregional teams. The East Conference consists of Atlanta Heat, Raleigh Racers, Chapel Hill Bears, St. Louis Stars, Minnesota Monarchs, NY Rockettes, Boston Lobsters, DC Tigers, and NJ Lady Eagles. The West Conference includes Bay Area Blues, San Jose Spirit, Los Angeles Stars, Seattle Amazonians, Houston Magnolias, and Dallas Spurs.
The player selection involved evaluating players by Intra-regional coaches within their regions based on criteria such as attitude, fitness, skill, and performance during the 6-week domestic Intra-regional competition. Intra-regional coaches ranked players from both their own and opposing teams. USA Cricket’s Women’s Coordinator then validated and aggregated these rankings to form the final East and West squads, each consisting of 14 players and 3 reserves, making a total of 28 players and 6 reserves. The squads will be announced next week.
Board Member and Chair of the Women’s Cricket Committee, Nadia Gruny, emphasized the importance of long-term development for women’s cricket. She highlighted that launching this event is anticipated to significantly impact the growth and sustainability of the talent pool. By attracting more girls to the game from an earlier age, they aim to build a strong pipeline for the under-19 national team and the U19 World Cup, which occurs every two years. With these event structures, the goal is not only to enhance the competitiveness of the players but also to provide a platform for increasing participation.
Nadia Gruny said, “The long-term development of women’s cricket is critical for us and launching this event is expected to have a significant impact on the development and sustainability of our talent pool. More girls will become interested in the game from an earlier age and this will ensure that we are building the pipeline for our under-19 national team and the U19 World Cup every two years. With these event structures in place, we are not only improving the competitiveness of our players but also providing a platform for increasing participation.”
USA Cricket Women’s Coordinator, Celeste Du Toit, expressed excitement about hosting the U15 Girls’ National Championship. She highlighted the event as a testament to the increasing interest and talent in women’s cricket across the United States. Du Toit looks forward to witnessing thrilling matches and discovering future stars of American cricket.
Celeste Du Toit said, “We are thrilled to host the U15 Girls’ National Championship. This event is a testament to the growing interest and talent in women’s cricket across the United States. We look forward to witnessing some thrilling matches and discovering the future stars of American cricket.”