Sunday 27 September 2020 13:59, UK
The maiden Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season has ushered in a new era offering female cricketers greater opportunity and financial security, says Clare Connor.
Connor, ECB head of women's cricket, has presided over a sea-change in the women's game this summer in which the new tournament - which finished on Sunday with the Sky Live final between Northern Diamonds and Southern Vipers - has offered more players the chance to see cricket as a career.
In May, the ECB handed out 25 regional retainer contracts in addition to the pre-existing England central contracts, enabling a greater pool of cricketers the chance to be paid to play.
On top of that, the eight regional-based teams - two more than took part in the now defunct Kia Super League - have had improved access to top coaches, facilities and training programmes.
The ECB's goal is to improve the standard of women's cricket across the board and in doing so, prepare potential England players for the step up to the international stage.
This has all occurred at a time when COVID-19 left women's sport with a raft of cancellations and postponements.
Connor said: "We're absolutely delighted to be able to finish this summer with a real bang; to deliver the first season of the new domestic structure for the eight regional teams and in the guise this year of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
"The regional structure is all about the pathway and performance elements of giving players more all-round opportunity to have specialist coaching, really good science and medicine support, a skill and fitness emphasis - giving them access to what our centrally-contracted women's players have had over the last five or six years.
"We will be investing every penny of what we said we would into the women's and the girl's game because it has been the right thing to do and we remain true to our ambition of cricket being a game for everyone by doing so."
Adam Carty, Southern Vipers' regional director of cricket, explained: "The intention this year was to create a senior environment for the elite players in conjunction with identifying an academy programme.
"This structure is very much related to development and as much as all regions want to win, we are looking for player development as the primary driver."
Learn more about the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and its impact on women's cricket in the video at the top of the page.
