Take Her Lead partners with ECB and Metro Bank

Take Her Lead (THL), the charity championing women and girls in cricket founded by Isa Guha, has agreed a new partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Metro Bank.

This new partnership will support the delivery of the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund by strengthening the network of volunteers, coaches, officials, committee members, team managers and others who make the game happen in clubs and communities across England and Wales. Together, the three organisations will aim to create more opportunities for connection, learning and collaboration, helping to build the workforce needed to support the continued growth of the women's and girls' game.

The partnership will be delivered through the expansion of Take Her Lead's Women's Network, a community for women who work or volunteer in recreational cricket. The enhanced programme will specifically support the ‘Network’ pillar of the Fund across 38 Recreational Cricket Boards, providing opportunities to connect with peers, share experiences and access personal and professional development, while championing Take Her Lead’s three core ambitions for the programme: Grow, Inspire and Educate.

A record-breaking summer, an ICC Women's T20 World Cup on home soil and the first-ever women's Test at Lord's are inspiring more women and girls than ever to get involved in the game. This year, over 520,000 women and girls have played the game across England and Wales, building on a record breaking year in 2025. Last year there were more than 6,000 women’s and girls’ teams at grassroots level, nearly double the number in 2022 (3,200), with a record 30,627 girls also taking part in the ECB’s National Programmes, All Stars and Dynamos.

Sustaining that momentum will depend not only on attracting new players, but also on supporting the people behind the scenes who create welcoming, inclusive and thriving cricket environments.

By bringing together both the ECB and Metro Bank investments in the recreational game, Metro Bank's long-standing commitment to women's and girls' cricket and Take Her Lead's expertise in building communities and opportunities for women and girls in sport, the partnership will help ensure the infrastructure behind the game grows alongside participation.

Recruitment is now underway for a dedicated THL Women’s Network Manager to lead the programme. Further details on the programme, member benefits, support opportunities and ways to get involved will be announced following the appointment.