ICC & UNICEF Partner to Promote Gender Equality Through Cricket
October 28, 2022
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and UNICEF have launched a global partnership to empower girls and women and promote inclusion and gender equality through cricket. The pair recently released new cricket for development curriculum as part of the collaboration.
The basis of the partnership includes a range of global initiatives advocating for greater gender equity along with social change campaigns involving some of the world’s best cricket players. They also released the "Criiio 4 Good" program for youth, which provides opportunities to experience cricket whilst learning gender-based life skills. Criiio is a celebration of the many ways cricket is played around the world.
Criiio 4 Good is freely available on the ICC and UNICEF websites in 12 languages, consisting of an eight-week lesson plan on the fundamentals of batting, bowling and fielding. Developed by educational and cricket experts with the goal to get people active, it is intended to be used by schools, clubs, communities and individuals. Each lesson has a core life skill module to teach children the importance of gender equity and equality. These skills include leadership, problem-solving, self-esteem, negotiation, empathy, decision-making, teamwork and goal-setting.
“Sport can be a great equalizer,” says UNICEF Australia Director of International Programs, Felicity Wever. “Particularly in a country like Sri Lanka where cricket is traditionally seen as a boys’ sport and it’s only recently been understood as a sport that girls can also play and that they can play it at the highest levels of the game. Sport can help challenge these gender stereotypes, because if we’re all playing, then maybe we’re not that different.”
The ICC is also using its platform to campaign for greater gender equity with professional cricket players encouraging everyone to #BeAChampion for gender equality. Australia men’s T20 captain Aaron Finch is leading the call. “Cricket has more than one billion fans and we have a huge platform to empower women and girls through our sport. Every single cricket fan can join me and #BeAChampion and together we can harness cricket to build a better future,” he said
The partnership will continue throughout the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. During this year’s T20 Men’s World Cup set to end on November 13, all 16 competing nations are holding Cricket 4 Good Coaching Clinics at tournament venues. Up to 40 school children are expected to take part in each clinic.
Cricket for Good, in partnership with UNICEF, is the ICC’s global community outreach program aimed at “leveraging the vast power and reach of cricket to transform the lives of children and families worldwide”. The program works to tackle the issues facing children around the world and has helped children gain better food, water, health, education and protection.