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Black Sticks legend Gemma McCaw has been named as the ambassador for the Women in Sport Fund.
Black Sticks great Gemma McCaw will be the ambassador for a new Women in Sport Fund to support women and girls sport in greater Christchurch.
The Women in Sport Fund is a Christchurch Foundation initiative in collaboration with ChristchurchNZ, Sport Canterbury, High Performance Sport New Zealand, and the Christchurch City Council.
The new fund, which was announced on Wednesday at Hagley Oval, is a legacy project for greater Ōtautahi Christchurch as a celebration of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup which is being hosted by the city early next year.
The Fund’s purpose is to nurture and inspire women and girls’ participation in sport, both on and off the field.
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Scholarships will be offered to female athletes, coaches, and officials based in greater Christchurch to grow their exposure and success. Four scholarships will be issued annually.
Scholarship winners will be required to share their stories at a series of events held each year and on social media to inspire other women and girls.
Retired Black Sticks legend McCaw, who represented New Zealand at three Olympics, will be an ambassador. The 31-year-old announced her retirement last year, gaining 254 appearances in the black singlet, scoring 72 goals.
Stacy Squires/Stuff
Women and girls’ participation for organised sport within greater Christchurch has room for improvement.
McCaw, a mother of two young daughters, was excited to be involved in the initiative that will help foster strong supportive relationships for women and girls involved in sport.
While females made up roughly half the population, women and girls’ participation for organised sport within greater Christchurch and New Zealand showed there was work to do.
Just 24 per cent of coaches were female and 27 per cent of chief executives/organisation leads at regional sporting organisations were female. Additionally, 32 per cent of officials were female and 37 per cent of regional sporting organisation board members were women.
Encouragingly, 41 per cent of volunteers, 42 per cent of participants, and 47 per cent of the paid workforce were female.
“More than two thirds of residents listed equality as a top area of focus for targeting philanthropy. As a result, The Christchurch Foundation has several initiatives underway in an area that we call Opportunities for All,” Christchurch Foundation chief executive Amy Carter said.
“Sport was a logical place to focus as it is a shared passion that transcends diversity and joins people together. It is important both for physical and mental health and gives people a strong connection to others. All of which is important for our residents to thrive.
“Launching this programme on the back of a [cricket] world championship makes it even more exciting.”
The Foundation is seeking gifts to grow the fund, both for scholarships and to establish an endowment fund. It is hoped that as the fund grows additional programmes can be added.
