Case Study | Nafhat
In February 2018, Nafhat (15) was introduced to cricket through a Wicketz taster at her school. She had limited knowledge of the game and saw it largely as a male dominated sport. However, Nafhat who is of Kenyan origin, continued to attend regularly and felt comfortable playing and making friends in the very multicultural Wicketz team.
In the time since she joined, she has progressed, successfully representing her school cricket team. Her dedication to developing her skills has also earned her a place on Luton’s first female cricket team, an achievement that she is justifiably very proud of. She and one of her peers led their team to the first National Wicketz all-girls festival, where they were great role models and leaders for the festival.
Nafhat and her friends are clear that the support offered by Wicketz has also given them opportunities to develop as individuals. They have made new friends through Wicketz and Nafhat says that taking part has helped her be a more outgoing and open person, which she credits with “giving me the confidence to push myself further to take on new challenges and do bigger things”. She has recently been awarded a High Sheriff’s Citizenship Award.
“The impact these young women are having in their community is really powerful and exciting to see. They are showing that with determination and support they have broken into, been accepted and are achieving in a male dominated world. That they want to give back by coaching other girls at Wicketz makes me really proud of them.”
Amran, Luton Wicketz Development Officer