Following an extensive bidding process Durham Cricket have been awarded a Tier 1 professional women’s team.
A restructure of the women’s professional game has seen the England and Wales Cricket Board award 8 counties with professional women’s teams. Durham will be joined by Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottingham, Surrey, Somerset and Warwickshire to form the new professional structure which will be in place from the 2025 season onwards.
The decision to award Durham professional women’s status comes just over 30 years after the professional men’s game came to the region. The Club has gone on to become one of the most successful counties in the country winning multiple trophies and producing a pipeline of international stars including current England Men’s Test Captain Ben Stokes.
Durham Cricket Chief Executive, Tim Bostock, said: “This is a monumental moment in the history of Durham Cricket and women’s sport in the region. The bidding process was extremely competitive, but we were confident the North East was the right place for one of the teams and that we had delivered a bid that demonstrated our ability and enthusiasm to bring a team here.”
“This is a huge opportunity to develop the game across the region and it will also bring a huge economic boost to the club and the County. The financial investment will be considerable both on and off the pitch and is set to create over 30 new jobs and bring new commercial opportunities.”
Marcus North, Director of Cricket, said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring professional women’s sport to the region. This will allow us to grow the game exponentially and is a huge boost to female cricketers and sports enthusiasts across the region. It’s a huge endorsement of the pathway we already have at Durham and the potential of the region.”
Rachel Hopkin, Head of Female Talent Pathway, said: “As with the men’s team 30 years ago, this is a game changing moment for women’s cricket. Our pathway is now complete, girls can aspire to play the sport they love professionally in their home County. We can’t wait to get started and see some of our homegrown talent play professionally as Seat Unique Riverside.”
The new women’s team will play their first games in the Summer of 2025 and Durham Cricket will document the journey to establish the team via their channels across the year ahead.
Tickets are available to see England women take on New Zealand at Seat Unique Riverside this summer, buy your tickets now, click below.