Promoting gender parity is high up on our agenda here at Spice PR, so we love working with organisations that are committed to driving real progress. Lancashire Cricket Club at Emirates Old Trafford is one such entity that has made its commitment clear with its investment in the women’s game through its Red Rose Together campaign.
Lancashire Thunder is the women’s cricket team which represents the whole of the region; not only Lancashire but also Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cumbria, and thanks to the dedication of Lancashire Cricket, it’s now a fully fledged professional team. This follows the recent announcement of a significant investment through partner Hilton.
But there’s a long way to go before female cricketers can enjoy the same opportunities and funding as their male counterparts. The men’s sport has a long, rich history in the UK, attracting sponsorship that enables perpetual visibility. The women’s game generally receives little funding by comparison and sponsors are often reluctant to get involved when the numbers are low, so it’s really a pivotal moment in the sport.
The only way to bring in the sponsors and wider audiences is for clubs and sporting associations to start beating the drum more loudly so that the public get more involved and help propel investment – and that’s the resounding beat you’ll hear coming from Emirates Old Trafford, one of the country’s foremost cricket grounds.
To help raise awareness of the work the club has been doing and to attract a wider audience, Spice PR created #BatForWomensCricket. Launching at the first women’s standalone T20 match of the season on 19 May, where Lancashire Thunder took on their Yorkshire rivals Northern Diamonds, the campaign objectives spanned awareness, engagement and sales.
And we’re very proud to have reached and exceeded all targets, as shown below:
But best of all was the atmosphere on the day and the smiles from the spectators. Cricket fans and first-time visitors alike took part in the batting challenge to show their support for change. The crowd cheered on the Thunder team, captained by Ellie Threlkeld, as the red roses beat their white rose rivals whilst the sun beat down on this iconic pitch.
So, in the first of our ‘Behind the scenes’ series, we’re sharing a little glimpse of what went on, both in the run-up and on the day, that helped chalk up a win for women’s cricket – in addition to that of the Thunder team’s comprehensive eight wicket victory!
Understanding consumer habits and barriers to attending
First and foremost, we wanted to understand how people in the region felt about cricket – and specifically women’s cricket. Together with our independent research partner we surveyed 500 people in the North West to get their views.
What we found was that only four in 10 people in the North West had been to a cricket match in person and of those just 11% watched women’s cricket.
The main barriers to attending are because people don’t understand the rules and don’t know what happens at the game, such as how long it takes, if there’s wider entertainment and how much it costs.
So for the 19 May match, there was certainly plenty of entertainment both on and off the field. All visitors were entered into a prize draw which was announced at half-time, with the lucky winners taking home prizes including a hospitality package to the venue’s Green Day concert and tickets to watch an England fixture.
We created a 'Cricket Explained' guide with the rules of T20, shared on the club's website, plus the campaign featured a batting challenge where visitors could quite literally bat for women’s cricket! All entrants had the chance to meet the team after the game and win a signed bat.
The lucky winners were Maia, aged six, from Chester, Theo and Jacob, both aged 12, from Didsbury, and Lachlan, aged just two, from Newton-le-Willows.
The Spice PR team was also on hand to capture pictures of those completing the challenge so they could share with the hashtag. In the press gallery, when asked about #BatForWomensCricket, one journalist responded: “It’s all over social media”. Music to our ears! In fact, there were over 1,000 engagements across the top five posts alone, with activity peaking on the day.
There were face painters, stilt walkers, food and drink stalls and a DJ. Plus the club’s mascot Lanky the Giraffe, who tried his hand at the batting challenge too!
Inspiring the next generation
Spice PR also arranged for two young cricketers from Liverpool to interview captain Ellie on the day. Melody Bowman, aged 11, together with her nine-year-old sister Grace, asked Ellie what was behind #BatForWomensCricket.
Threlkeld responded: “It’s a great initiative to try and get more girls and women involved in cricket. The game’s growing, which is brilliant, and we want to do everything we can to keep that momentum going. #BatForWomensCricket is another opportunity to do that. We’ve made some significant progress in women’s cricket but there’s always more to be done.”
Lancashire Thunder captain, Ellie Threlkeld is interviewed by young cricketers, Melody and Grace Bowman
At the end of the match, as they celebrated a winning start to their Charlotte Edwards Cup journey, the Thunder team spent time greeting fans and signing autographs.
Lancashire Thunder and England opener, Emma Lamb said: "It was lovely today to play in front of a fantastic crowd and to sign all the autographs at the end – there were lots of little girls looking up at me which was really nice. It's great that we can get in a decent crowd even when it isn't a double header with the men’s game. I'm glad we won for all of them."
Promoting equality, generating media coverage, driving sales and creating a buzz on social. Our kind of campaign. Howzat!
