Leicestershire Duo Named As (WCEN) Inspirational Women of 2023
Mon 8 Jan 2024
Two Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Foundation coaches have been honoured as Women in Cricket Employee Network’s (WCEN) Inspirational Women of 2023.
Deejay Thanki and Nafeesa Katib are among 23 women in the industry to receive special praise for their outstanding efforts across the past 12 months.
The duo joined the Club last January as Community Talent Champions for girls' cricket - tasked with finding unidentified talent in the county and to improve the connection between the pathway and South Asian communities playing in non-affiliated cricket environments.
Both have already earned recognition for their efforts, Deejay picking up Coach of the Year at the ECB Coaching Awards for Leicestershire and Rutland, while Nafeesa was named Street Coach of the Year at the Chance2Shine awards in November.
Here's why the pair were honoured:
Deejay Thanki “ Leicestershire and Rutland:
“Deejay is phenomenally dedicated to the sport, always encouraging the children to go above and beyond, and most importantly growing cricket amongst young girls. Having Deejay as our coach, we are so lucky to have such a successful and enthusiastic woman who is the perfect role model for young females within the sport and across the East Midlands.â€
Nafeesa Katib “ Leicestershire and Rutland:
“Nafeesa has been coaching on the Chance to Shine Street project at Oadby since it began more than five years ago. The Oadby project runs in a diverse area of Leicestershire, where there is no other cricket provision for young people. The project began as a girls-only session, but Nafeesa has always been passionate about providing opportunities for all, which has led to the session now becoming a mixed youth session. Nafeesa has sacrificed significant amounts of her own time to spread the word in the local community, attending community events and sharing posters.â€
To read the full list of nominees, click HERE.
