‘We’re Just Getting Started’: Danielle Lee on Metro Bank’s impact on Women’s Cricket
Last year, Metro Bank became the ECB’s inaugural Champion Partner of Women’s and Girls’ Cricket, a partnership designed to foster inclusivity and drive participation at all levels of the sport. At the heart of the collaboration is the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund, which aims to increase opportunities for women and girls to get involved in cricket, from grassroots programs to elite competitions.
To mark the end of the first full year of this partnership, we sat down with Danielle Lee, Brand and Marketing Director at Metro Bank, to reflect on the progress made so far, the lessons learned, and the bank’s ongoing commitment to supporting women’s cricket in the UK. Danielle shared insights into the challenges they’ve faced and the strides they’ve taken to help transform the landscape of women’s and girls’ cricket.
On the first year as ECB's Partner of Women’s and Girls’ Cricket
“Reflecting back to when we first became Champion of Women’s and Girls’ Cricket last season to the progress we’ve made this year, it has been an incredible journey and we’re still only just getting started. We’re extremely proud of how far women’s and girls’ cricket has come, from the number of girls picking up a bat for the first time, to the viewing figures and ticket sales for England Women that continue to rise. We launched The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund in May, demonstrating our joint commitment with the ECB to grow girls’ recreational cricket. We know that playing the sport improves confidence and opportunities in life and that’s where we hope to make a difference.
During the England Women v New Zealand One Day International in June we launched a campaign that showcased how we champion women in cricket, and women in business. We partnered with three of our female-owned business customers and showcased their businesses at their local cricket grounds, and there is more inspiring content still to launch. It’s been fantastic to be able to leverage our rights to put a spotlight on these successful business women.
We are committed to our investment in the women’s and girls’ game, and each cricket season we’re even more excited to continue to use our partnership to create greater visibility at all levels, shining a spotlight on brilliant role models within the England, domestic and recreational levels of the sport. Bring on 2025.”
On Metro Bank’s Girls in Cricket Fund
“From the outset we were adamant that our partnership was not just about traditional sponsorship rights, but was an opportunity for the bank to drive meaningful change at the grassroots. Metro Bank stands for community, diversity and inclusion, so the partnership needed to have true purpose at its heart and that’s where The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund comes in, which has the ambition to triple the number of girls teams by 2026.
We commissioned Women In Sport to conduct research which identified that a key barrier to girls’ playing cricket is a lack of female coaches in clubs so the Fund has been developed to address this. It’s a seven-pillar Fund that tackles the entire recreational cricket coaching pathway, with activities that support clubs in attracting new volunteers, to subsidies for ECB Core Coach qualifications with a focus on coaching girls’ cricket, and initiatives to increase the number of female ECB Coach Developers – the ultimate role models for those considering what they can give back to the cricket community.
Women and girls cricket coaches ECB and Metrobank
By increasing the number of female volunteers and coaches we will help give more girls’ an opportunity to play cricket. But the importance of this is not just the benefit women and girls will gain on the pitch, it’s the lifelong positive impact team sport can have beyond the pitch. We want to see more young girls realising their full potential, with the confidence to believe they can achieve whatever they set their mind to in later life. And we know people who volunteer have better wellbeing. Supporting communities aligns with the values of the bank.”
On keeping the partner fresh beyond cricket’s summer months
“We are in a unique position in 2024 in that the cricket season, especially for England Women is far from over. In fact, it doesn’t really stop. They will be competing in the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE throughout October, and then will take on Australia in the Ashes Series through January and February. This gives us two pinnacle moments to continue the conversation and our support for those at the top of their game.
Recreational cricket and the work of The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund also won’t slow down. There is increasingly more indoor cricket being played, with clubs offering winter taster sessions and training, and the winter months providing a great opportunity for clubs to start recruiting volunteers for the following season.
We will also continue to amplify the partnership amongst our colleagues, celebrating the work that’s being done within cricket and providing opportunities for more colleagues and customers to get involved.”
On lessons learned during the first year as a partner of the ECB
“This is the first time the bank has entered a partnership of this scale and we quickly learnt there is a lot to do to deliver it and make it a success. Having a dedicated role in the team has allowed us to give the partnership the attention it deserves and we are now embedding it more across the bank.
A challenge we faced at the beginning was deciding how best to set up the Fund. It was tempting to want to tackle a number of the barriers girls face in recreational cricket. But we knew for our best chance to make a lasting impact, we needed to be laser focused. To help guide our decision-making, we married the bank’s strengths of people and culture to the areas of opportunities in grassroots cricket the research provided. From there, it was obvious the space we could add the most value was in people, so coaches and volunteers were the right fit.
Great progress has been made in women’s sport, but there is still further to go, and we’re excited to be part of that journey with the ECB. It’s clear we will need to work really hard to achieve the ambitions of the fund but that only makes us even more determined and seeing the impact it’s making is what drives us.”
