Lewes cricketers are ditching their whites - and it's for an unusual reason
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When the mixed juniors of Lewes Priory go on to the fiekd this season, boys and girls will all play in a new coloured kit.
Moving to coloured kit is the clearest sign of its aims to help girls succeed and make cricket a sport for all.
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Hide AdWhile other clubs have made the switch to coloured kit, Lewes Priory CC believe they are the first to do it as part of a commitment to equality. They say it means no girl will ever have to worry about wearing whites when they have their period.
Girls can start their periods from as young as nine, so switching to coloured kit for everyone removes a potential barrier to girls loving cricket and playing in mixed teams. The coloured kit is carried through to adult level, where the senior women's team also play in it.
The club have invested in new team shirts sponsored by equality and Inclusion consultancy Half the Sky. Anyone selected for the team is loaned the striking black shirt and wears their own dark trousers or leggings.
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Hide AdClub chair Kevin Ives said: “One team, one kit, one club sums up our whole approach. We want girls and boys to come here, play cricket and to love the game as much as we do. The switch to coloured kit is a really important part of the work we are doing towards our goal to be a truly inclusive club.”
Sponsor and founder of Half the Sky Dr Zoe Young said: “I am delighted Half the Sky is sponsoring the new kit. We help organisations put inclusion and equality at the heart of their cultures and we know from the work we do those small practical changes can have a huge impact. This is such a positive move by the club.”
Matt Parsons, Sussex county coach and territory manager, said: “It’s great to see a community club in Sussex to switch kit so the club is inclusive. It shows that clubs can shape the way they do things.”
Charlotte Burton, cricket development officer with Sussex Cricket, said: “We know grassroots cricket is where we will find the cricket stars of the future. Top flight female players are being more open about the barriers they face getting to where they are. This positive action sends a very important message.”