SACA Launches Women's Coaching Programme Following Men's Success

The South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) has expanded its breakthrough diversity initiative into women's cricket, launching an ambitious new coaching programme designed to replicate the success of its men's setup. The women's programme, developed in partnership with equalities charity Take Her Lead, will offer fully-funded high-performance elite coaching over the next twelve months.

Building on Proven Success

SACA's men's programme has established itself as a transformative initiative since its 2021 inception, helping 18 players from under-represented communities establish professional careers. The programme was created to fill a critical void left by the disbanding of the MCCU and MCC Young Cricketers programmes, which had traditionally served as pathways for emerging talent.

The women's initiative is now positioned to replicate this success story, actively recruiting between 6 and 10 non-professionally contracted British South Asian girls aged 18 and above. The fully-funded nature of the programme removes financial barriers that have historically prevented talented players from under-represented communities from accessing elite coaching and development pathways.

Naomi Dattani, who helped launch the women's programme, represents the type of talent the academy aims to nurture. By combining SACA's proven coaching methodology with Take Her Lead's expertise in equality and inclusion, the programme addresses a significant gap in women's cricket development.

This expansion signals a broader commitment to diversifying cricket's talent pipeline, ensuring that exceptional players from all backgrounds have genuine pathways to professional careers. The women's programme's success could reshape how British cricket identifies and develops female talent from South Asian communities.