Talk Sport with Tai Bridgman-Raison, cricket development manager, Bay of Plenty Cricket
The Bay Oval was a sea of colour last Sunday as Bay of Plenty Cricket hosted the inaugural round of the Northern Premier League (NPL).
The NPL is an innovative new women's competition developed by Northern Districts Cricket designed to breathe some life into what is generally seen as a male, pale and stale sporting code. Each NPL game is an event in its own right with live music and inflatable attractions for children creating a festival-type atmosphere.
The NPL brand has strong presence on social media along with the brightly coloured uniforms and teams named Sonic, Power, Velocity and Galaxy, all of which is designed to appeal to a younger female audience.
Bay of Plenty Cricket will run its own version of the NPL early in 2017, targeted at intermediate-aged girls. The idea will be the same - making cricket fun and appealing to young females. The Junior NPL will also build on the success of the Trillian Trust GoGirl programme and act as the next stepping-stone in our female player pathway.