Introducing… Emma Calvert, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket
As part of our ‘A Life In Cricket’ Campaign, we will be talking about the passionate and committed individuals who work in cricket.
In this episode we meet Emma, who tells us about her career to date and why she’d recommend a career in cricket to a young person.
Watch Emma’s video below and keep scrolling to learn more about Emma and her career.
How did you originally get into cricket?
I grew up 100m away from my local cricket club and spent most of my summer weekends down there as a kid. I had always watched cricket at my club but fell in love with the sport during the 2005 Ashes.
Despite loving the sport, I didn’t start playing until I was 13. I was lucky enough to get scouted at a school indoor Kwik Cricket competition at Old Trafford and went on to play for Lancashire from the age of 13.
What did you do before you worked in cricket?
I started out my career in investment banking before taking the leap into sport. Before working in cricket, I worked in football at City Football Group with my remit covering Manchester City and their other football clubs around the globe. Separately, I am also on the board of directors for British Wheelchair Basketball.
When did you first join South East Stars?
I joined South East Stars in October last year.
Why did you join?
Not only do I love cricket, but I am passionate about developing Women and Girls sport. Being given the chance to have an impact and make a difference is an opportunity given to very few and I knew this role at South East Stars would give me the chance to help shape the next era of Women and Girls cricket.
There has been a phenomenal amount of work done in recent years in the Women’s game and I wanted the opportunity to help build on that in this role. I wanted to ensure positive experiences are provided to all those involved in the game at any level and that a platform is created that allows Women and Girls the opportunity to fulfil their potential
What do you most enjoy about your current role?
The people and the amazing team we have built at South East Stars. As we have moved towards professionalising our set up there has been a lot of growth and change within both our playing team and support staff. This has meant not only growing our professional playing squad but also expanding our resources to ensure we have the best support structure in place. I truly believe we have an incredibly talented group at South East Stars who are all committed to our values as a team and to helping us progress and grow both on and off the field.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your role?
The biggest challenge now is just keeping up with the level of growth in the game. We want to ensure we are ahead of the curve at every stage from player contracting, to welfare support and developing players through our system. An example of the huge amount of growth can be seen in the scheduling for this season. This year we will see our 50 over fixtures double from 7 to 14. This volume of cricket is something our players haven’t experience before and we need to ensure they are ready and fully supported through this change.
What are you most looking forward to in cricket in 2023?
I am pretty sure the team will want to me to say I am most looking forward to seeing us lift a trophy this season! But the honest answer is I am most looking forward to watching all the teams hard work this winter pay off and to see how all the work behind the scenes from players and staff has helped us grow and develop as a team. I am also looking forward to seeing some of our younger players who have come through our set up show young aspiring cricketers just what is possible!
To learn more about the ‘A Life In Cricket’ campaign, click here
To learn more about the Surrey Cricket Foundation, click here
