Derbyshire County Cricket Club has released its 2024 EDI Progress Report and Action Plan for 2025.
Over the past year, Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation have been making strides to deliver on the EDI Action Plans, in order to ensure that cricket, and The County Ground as a venue, are for all.
The EDI Action Plan is based around creating “A welcoming environment and a Club for all, where diversity brings strength and inclusion drives high performance.” This core principle is carried into everything the Club and Foundation do, whether that be in the professional Men’s game, the growing women’s game, recreational cricket and off-field activity.
Through 2024 and into the beginning of 2025, the Club has made various improvements and investments in-line with the EDI Action Plan, including ground development and accessible facilities, alignment and increased resource for the Women & Girls Pathway and governance.
The latest Club and Foundation EDI Action Plans, Progress Reports and Impact Reports can be accessed by clicking the buttons above. Read on for a brief summary.
Ground Development
Following on from the opening of new family toilets, Changing Places facilities and Multi-Faith Room in 2023, the Club has remained committed to making The County Ground one of the most inclusive venues in the country.
Wheelchair viewing bays, Hearing Loop, a dedicated accessibility Liaison Officer and accessible parking are all available at the ground, while a new stand housing an additional 900 seats and a Sensory Room have been installed since the start of the 2025 campaign.
There are plans for further ground developments, as part of the Club’s Ground Development Master Plan and will be updated on in future Progress Reports.
Derbyshire Women
The Derbyshire Women & Girls Pathway has now come under the leadership of Derbyshire County Cricket Club, building on the excellent work of the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation, who contributed to the development of three current England internationals: Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath and Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
Derbyshire were successful in the bid to secure tier two cricket for Falcons Women in the new domestic structure, with Jon Dyson appointed as Head of Women’s Cricket, having previously led the side to the ECB County Championship T20 trophy in 2024.
The Derbyshire Cricket Foundation met their goal of supporting local clubs to increase girls teams and sections, with a 50% increase in the number of clubs which have at least one girls team, while more than 60 clubs now have a women’s team.
In terms of developing a pathway for girls aged 9-16 in recreational cricket, there was a 65% increase in the number of girls matches played in 2024, compared to 2023, and Derbyshire teams were invloved in a quarter of all women’s matches played in the Midlands.
Pathway and developing young players
Huge strides have been made towards increasing diversity within the Cricket Derbyshire Academy Boys Talent Pathway, Significant progress made in this area with Open Trials now in place for both Boys and Girls Pathway and Access to Cricket Grant promoted to ensure cost is not a barrier to entry.
35% of Boys talent pathway trials from ethnically diverse backgrounds and 66% in state school education. 17% of Girls talent pathway trials from ethnically diverse backgrounds and 75% in state school education.
Harry Moore and Yousaf Bin Naeem signed professional contracts with Derbyshire Men, while Lara Shaw and England Under 19s player, Maria Andrews, gained a place in The Blaze Academy from their development with Derbyshire. Both will feature for the Falcons Women, on-loan from The Blaze, this season.
Governance
The Club met four out of its five Governance objectives, working closely with the ECB, with work ongoing to form an ethnically diverse Board which represents the county.
Our Board has 40% female representation and 20% ethnic diversity and an EDI update is included on every Board meeting agenda and an update included in
each monthly CEO report.
