Leicestershire Awarded Tier Two Status In Women's Domestic Restructure

Leicestershire CCC can today announce the award of Tier Two status for the revamped women’s domestic structure, launching in 2025.

The move will enable the Club to progress its women and girls’ structure to a more professional standard, creating further opportunities for female cricketers across Leicestershire and Rutland.

Leicestershire is one of ten counties to form tier two, competing in 50-over and T20 cricket until the 2028 season.

Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “The award of Tier Two status will help us improve the structure and processes in place to build on the successful environment we are building for women and girls’ cricket at Leicestershire.

“We are committed to providing high class coaching and enhanced opportunities for female cricketers at Leicestershire year-on-year, with the goal of pushing for Tier One status in 2029.

 â€œThe game-wide structure is now far more conducive to sustaining growth of women and girls’ cricket, and we are looking forward to further evolving our offering in the seasons to come.”

Heather Beattie, Women’s Operation Lead, said: “We have made significant process as a Club in the past few years, and this news will be another big boost to growing the women and girls’ game in Leicestershire.

“Our women and girls now have the opportunity to regularly play and train at Uptonsteel County Ground, while we have established fantastic relationships with local clubs and schools across our network of hubs.

“Our Foundation team have also been exceptional in supporting our women’s pathway structure, which has been crucial in facilitating the game’s recreational growth in Leicestershire and Rutland.”

Leicestershire Women have made a successful start to the 2024 season, winning both T20s at Uptonsteel County Ground and sitting top of their 50-over group after four rounds, while the U18 Girls are perched atop of their T20 group “ including two wins over Derbyshire at Grace Road on Wednesday.

All three tiers will be ‘closed’, with no promotion or relegation, for the duration of the 2025-2028 campaigns, although the ECB has set the ambition to expand Tier 1 to 12 teams by 2029.