SACA tweaks women's competition structure

The tournament will now feature five clubs in First Grade and seven clubs in Second Grade after a decision was made by the Premier Cricket Committee on Tuesday (July 16). The committee, comprised of one representative from each of the 13 premier cricket clubs and a representative from the South Australian Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, endorsed the changes after an extensive process of nomination.

The decision was made “to ensure a sustainable competition that demonstrates a high standard of play and increases enjoyment and player longevity,” a release said.

“The nomination process has helped us to understand that we currently have the depth for five teams to consistently play competitive cricket at First Grade level,” said Tim Nielsen, SACA General Manager, High Performance. “Adding a sixth team would mean we increase the potential of players leaving the game altogether through lack of opportunity and playing in a competition beyond their skill level. These changes are a result of clubs wanting to prioritise successfully engaging women and girls at club level. It allows clubs to provide an appropriate level of support and development and then over time, we will see the best players come through to play for our State and for Australia."

Both divisions will have one team each from the areas of Sturt, West Torrens, Southern District, Northern Districts and Kensington, while Second Grade will also include teams from Glenelg and Adelaide University.

The nomination process resulted from SACA’s realisation that there was a need to review the existing women and girls’ structure. It was led by the Premier Cricket Committee who invited nine clubs with exiting women’s teams to nominate one or more places for the upcoming season.

To have teams successfully added to the Statewide Super Women’s Premier Cricket competition, clubs were required to have at least two female teams. Their submissions needed to include complete player lists, information about coaching, facilities, finance, culture, current state of play, player recruitment and retention plans.

“The benefits of this process are that clubs that have nominated teams have been able to display how committed they are to the female game and what they have in place in terms of coaching, resourcing and facilities,” Nielsen said. “The Premier Cricket Sub-Committee has made these decisions based on what they believe is best for female cricket and the ongoing health of the Premier Cricket competition.”

Since Port Adelaide was unable to field two teams as required in their submission, they now have to enter their women’s team into an alternative competition. On the other hand, Glenelg and Adelaide University were able to meet the criteria of submission and have therefore earned the right to participate in the Second Grade competition.

“In the long-term, we believe we will have a more sustainable and robust competition for the development of female cricket and for the development of players,” he added.