Leicestershire CCC Publishes 2023 EDI Report

2023 EDI Report: Read HERE | 2022 EDI Report: Read HERE

Following the Club’s inaugural Equality, Diversity & Inclusion report last year, we can today (Tuesday, 30 January) provide a second annual update regarding the progress made at Leicestershire CCC across the past 12 months.

Namita Patel, Community & EDI Director, has spearheaded the drive into making the Club as inclusive as possible since her arrival in September 2022. Discussing the latest report, she said:

“Reflecting on my first year at Leicestershire County Cricket Club, I have seen firsthand the progress we have made to become a more inclusive Club. We are constantly conscious more still needs to be achieved for us to ensure cricket is open to all, but the progress has been incredibly encouraging.

“2023 started with a season blessing, bringing representation from several faiths in our local community together. We have always been keen to connect with those communities that are new to cricket and understand the barriers they face, and we have made significant strides on that journey. The development of the Grace Space, our purpose-built community facility, saw focus groups come together to provide feedback about what was important for them and why inclusion mattered even more now than ever before.

“On the other side, we received the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) Report which made uncomfortable reading for everyone. We welcomed the findings and apologised to anyone who has ever been excluded, marginalised, or discriminated from cricket, and work has already begun to address some of the recommendations.

“We moved the Women and Girls’ pathway to our Cricket Pillar, with an action plan to align to the boy’s pathway and be more equitable in the professional game. We also created the Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket Foundation with a diverse Board of Trustees and a clear focus on the recreational game.

“By establishing a charity division of the Club (and separating the Community Pillar to a dedicated charitable status), it enables us to do so much more than transactional activity. As a charity, we can attract new sponsors and philanthropic supporters; we can tap into additional funds that allow us to do more for our community and really drive our community relationships.

“Having an open-door policy both internally and in the community to talk to me has resulted in people coming forward to detail how they have faced discrimination not just within the game of cricket but all forms of discrimination throughout our community. This has helped me to understand in more detail the issues faced by underrepresented groups and how cricket is used as a vehicle to alleviate some of some of their concerns.

“I am not afraid to have those conversations and I truly believe by being open and honest we can move Leicestershire CCC forwards in all our community programmes and bring more people from wider backgrounds into cricket.

“I look forward to my first year managing the Foundation to oversee its growth and the benefits it will bring to our diverse communities.”

To find out about the progress made by the Club in the past year, read the full report HERE.