AWARDS

VOLUNTEERS ON CRICKET’S BIG STAGE

The starry 21st Annual Cricket NSW Awards Evening on 5 April, 2023 saw six of our 13 Community Cricket awards for 2022/23 being recognised for the first time.

Alongside the best of the Blues, Breakers, Thunder and Sixers the Community Award winners were recognised and celebrated for their extraordinary contribution to the game in their local community. The awards profiled on the night were:

Seven other Awards were recognised by CNSW for their contribution to cricket in 2022/23: Indoor Facility of the Year: John Mackay Sports Centre, Bankstown

Community Cricket Association of the Year: Cricket Albury Wodonga

CNSW’s Julie Stafford wins Her Sport Her Way Champion Award

Acknowledgements

Editors: Catherine Ballesty, Dave Lyall, Martin Gleeson, Swagata Sen

Coordinators: Darryl Shortland, Julie Stafford, Matt Ellis, Neil McDonald

Special thanks to: Angela Denton, Fiona Penny, Renee Westwood, Sabrina DeSilva, Michael McKeough

Community Coach of the Year: Roy Binks (Griffith District Cricket Association)

Cricket NSW’s Female, Diversity & Inclusion Manager Julie Stafford took the honours as the Champion of the year among the incredible array of winners celebrated at this year’s Her Sport Her Way Awards.

The awards, convened by the NSW Government’s Office of Sport, recognise the people, clubs and organisations that are giving women and girls more opportunities to participate in sport and aim to highlight the important work they are doing in this space.

Technology and Media Initiative of the Year: Parramatta District Cricket Association

Partnership of the Year: Blacktown City & District Cricket Association

Celebrating Cricket in Schools: Wentworth Falls Public School

Community Match Official of the Year: Paul Norton (Ingleburn Cricket Club/ Camden District Cricket Association)

Out of the 13 NSW winners, seven went on to win Cricket Australia’s Community awards in their categories: Volunteer of the Year, Young Leader of the Year, Indoor Facility of the Year, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year, Community Cricket Association of the Year, Women and Girls Initiative of the Year and Community Coach of the Year.

Stafford has been a key figure in driving the growth of female participation in cricket across NSW since 2014, developing the Cricket NSW Female Strategy and Action Plan in 2022, which has seen Junior Girls Cricket grow by 20% last year. She is also focusing her efforts off the pitch, setting up WiCKETS Women in Cricket Communities, an online community that hosts forums and networking events connecting local volunteers and encouraging more women to join committees.

Stafford shared the award with Basketball NSW’s CEO Maria Nordstrom.