Following on from the release of Sport New Zealand’s ‘Balanced Female Health Handbook’ in 2023 - New Zealand Cricket with support from Sport New Zealand, have adopted a multi-pronged approach to bring the resource to life within our cricket network.
NZC’s Head of Female Engagement, Jess Davidson, explained the drivers behind the initiative.
“Our intention this season was to grow awareness and improve education around female athletic health and related issues in sport for players, coaches, administrators, and whānau alike.”
Utilising the knowledge and expertise of Kylie Cox, (Physiotherapist/ Founder - The Healthy Athlete Project) and other local practitioners, key messages were provided regarding what it means to be a healthy athlete, and how/when to reach out for support.
Cox spoke to her involvement and reaction towards the programme.
“It has been a privilege to be involved and it’s encouraging to see NZC’s commitment to providing a variety of educational opportunities to support female athletic health and wellbeing,” said Cox.
For coaches and administrators, valuable strategies and practical tips were shared around how to support and have conversations with female athletes about their health.
NZC facilitated a series of online webinars and in person education workshops at various National Age-Group Tournaments and District Festivals.
Throughout sessions delivered this season, over 450 players and 70 coaches/managers have received valuable education around female athletic health.
To deepen the learning and understanding for coaches, three online e-learning modules have been developed covering the topics of; Supporting and Understanding Balanced Health, Puberty and Development and Maintaining Energy Availability.
These free e-learning modules are accessible for all registered cricket coaches within New Zealand by logging into their Coaching Profile.
As explained by Davidson, NZC are committed to on-going education and resource development to enhance awareness and knowledge of female health related issues across the cricket network.
“It is vitally important we continue to build system-wide education and ensure our structures promote best practise and support the needs of young women in our sport.”
NZC Head of Women’s High Performance, Liz Green, agreed on the importance of this kaupapa.
“Female athlete health is a key priority within sport, and it is fantastic for NZC to be delivering educational opportunities relating to female health and performance considerations,” said Green.
“This knowledge will hold our young athletes in a strong position to understand and look after their wellbeing.”
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
For more information, check out Sport NZ’s Balanced Female Health Handbook: https://sportnz.org.nz/balanced-female-health/
To access the female athlete health online e-learning modules – visit the below link and log in to your coaching profile (or sign up as a coach): https://play.nzc.nz/existing-coach-login
Players, coaches and manager testimonials:
- “The Female Athlete Health presentation was one of the best I’ve sat through. It’s enlightening as well as bringing a focus to this critical aspect of female sport and participation. As a father of two girls (now in their early twenties) I worked through this the hard way and would have benefitted greatly from this knowledge. I’m looking forward to the coaching modules relating to this and at how we can share this wider.” – Jack O’Connor, West Coast Cricket Association
- “Great Informative presentation that is definitely needed for us female athletes as it is not spoken about enough which means we lack knowledge around it” – NZC National U19 Women’s Tournament Player, Jan 2024
