A Season ThatCreated Opportunity.

A Season That Created Opportunity

Season 1 marked an important milestone for The Empower Play Project (TEPP): the launch and completion of its first structured women's indoor cricket league. Seventy-eight women participated across six teams and 33 matches, supported by volunteers, umpires, team leaders, and the wider community.

The season was designed to create more than opportunities to compete. It provided a space for women to play, learn, connect, build confidence, and support one another through sport. Participant feedback from the season repeatedly reflected encouragement, belonging, shared learning, and appreciation for a supportive environment.

Season 1 ran July 14 – August 25, 2026. 10 volunteers and 2 umpires supported delivery; 8 average players per team per match.

What Season 1 Made Possible

• A structured competitive platform for 78 women to participate in indoor cricket.
• Six teams and a 33-match schedule that created repeated opportunities to play rather than a one-time event.
• A community environment where participants could learn from teammates, leaders, and more experienced players.
• Opportunities for women newer to indoor cricket to participate alongside established players and develop through play.
• A pathway beyond competition through complementary programming, beginning with TEPP's first strength-training workshop.
• Volunteer and umpire engagement that helped build the operational foundation for future TEPP seasons and programs.

What We Heard From Participants

Recognizing Performance & Sportsmanship

Growing Beyond the League

Season 1 also began connecting cricket with TEPP's wider women's wellness programming. The first strength-training workshop introduced participants to practical strength education and created an early model for complementary programming alongside league participation.

As TEPP grows, this broader approach can connect sport with strength, yoga, mental wellness, community sessions, and other opportunities that support women both on and beyond the field.

Our Commitment to Evidence-Informed Growth

TEPP is building its research and impact practice alongside its programs. Season 1 provides an important baseline for improving future data collection. Future registration, attendance, end-of-season surveys, and consent-based participant interviews will help TEPP better understand participation, confidence, social connection, continued sport engagement, and the needs of women in its programs.

Priorities for the Next Phase

• Expand opportunities for women to participate in future cricket seasons.
• Strengthen pathways for new and developing players.
• Continue complementary strength-training, yoga, and wellness programming.
• Develop women's leadership, volunteer, and umpiring opportunities.
• Improve attendance, participant-experience, and outcome tracking so TEPP can measure impact more consistently.
• Build partnerships and philanthropic support that can increase program access and sustainability.

Why Continued Support Matters

Season 1 demonstrated that a structured platform can bring women together repeatedly through sport and create opportunities for competition, learning, leadership, connection, and wellness. Sustaining and expanding this work requires continued investment in facilities, equipment, program delivery, workshops, volunteer development, outreach, and opportunities for more women to participate. Support for TEPP helps turn one successful season into an ongoing platform for women to play, connect, learn, and grow.