Emma Calvert is “absolutely thrilled” about becoming Surrey’s Director of Women’s Cricket at the end of this season and is aiming to lead the new, professional team with a crystal-clear philosophy.
Change has been the only constant in women’s domestic cricket in England and Wales over the last decade. The latest stage of development is the evolution of the regional teams into Tier 1 county teams, with Surrey being one of the eight counties to be awarded a professional team following an extensive tender and interview process with the ECB.
Amidst this change, Calvert – currently the Regional Director of Women’s Cricket for the South East Stars, a role she began in October 2022 – is determined to bring to Surrey the distinct identity and style that the Stars have created over the years.
“We want to continue to play the style of cricket that we’ve worked really hard to build at the Stars,” says Calvert. “We are very dynamic, very flexible. We often say ‘just go out there and go for it’. We play an aggressive form of cricket.
“We want our girls to have fun, enjoy what they’re doing, and play their own game. It doesn’t always come off, but that’s cricket,” continues Calvert, “This is the style that England want to play as well, which really helps our girls when they go up to that next level.”
Her team’s on-field philosophy is dictated by a set of values that they “pride” themselves on. “We’ve put a lot of work into building what our values are. We always say we have five key values – committed, united, integrity, passionate, and brave. Every single one of those, we will live and breathe through this season and bring into the new team,” explains Calvert.
A commitment especially dear to Calvert and her squad is to grow the game, and she believes that the new Surrey team, which is bound to regularly play in doubleheaders at The Kia Oval next season, will help to “create even more role models for the next generation.”
Calvert feels that the moment is here for regional teams to transform into counties: “I just think it’s time now that we come in-house in the counties to really push the game forward from a fan-based perspective, a sponsorship perspective and just generally making everything feel as professional as their team is.”
She also understands that the “name of Surrey comes with a lot” and relishes the weight of expectations that will be on the new side: “Joining an incredible club like Surrey should come with some pressure.
“Our priorities will be very similar to what the men’s team’s priorities are. We want to grow the game at the domestic level but below at the grassroots level too. We want to push players to work their way through our pathway into the senior squad and go on to higher honours with England. And, of course, we want to lift some trophies!”
Check out the full video interview below!
