Player's Guide to Cricket Australia Women's and Girls' Cricket Ages 8+ 2026/27

Cricket Australia says there is a place for every girl to play, and states and territories run girls-only and women's options. Cricket NSW, for example, lists:

• Girls Cricket Blast: girls aged 5 to 10, weekly 60 to 90 minute sessions of fun, modified games, with girls-only programs in many locations.
• Girls Smash (Smash Series): girls aged 8 to 14, new and experienced, in a fast one-hour format.
• Junior cricket, girls-only teams: girls aged 8 to 18, with girls-only competitions all around NSW.
• U13 Girls Community Cup: a statewide cup for Under 13 girls' club teams, with a guaranteed four-match pool round, a carnival-style finals series, and Big Bash style rules such as Power Surges, Free Hits and fielding restrictions.
• NSW Female Youth Championships: representative teams for the Mollie Dive Shield (Under 13 girls) and the Margaret Peden Shield (Under 15 girls), selected through your local junior association.
• Girls Holiday Programs and Colour Bash: school holiday programs from Cricket NSW and the Sydney Sixers and Thunder, from beginner to high-performance coaching.
• Girls Winter Skills: a winter skills program.
• Twilight Women's Smash: social 60 to 90 minute games for women aged 16 and over.
• Women's Metropolitan Competition: for women aged 16 and over across metropolitan Sydney. It is traditional cricket with 9 a side on a full pitch, starting in February and running for about six weeks.

Other states and territories run their own programs through their cricket associations, and the Program Finder on play.cricket.com.au lists what is near you.

Sources: cricketnsw.com.au/women-and-girls; play.cricket.com.au For Women and Girls page.

Yes. Cricket Australia's Junior Club Cricket stages are open to girls and boys, and Cricket Australia lists junior club cricket for girls aged 8 to 18. Cricket Australia's junior formats do not set a single national age rule for girls playing in boys' or mixed teams: each association or competition sets its own team types and age groups. Examples from Cricket NSW show how this works:

• Mixed club teams: the NSW Junior Community Cup is open to Under 12, Under 13 and Under 15 mixed teams, and separately to Under 13 girls' teams.
• Girls can be a year older at carnivals: in the Cricket NSW Metro Community Carnivals, age is worked out at 31 August and girls' maximum ages are one year above boys': Under 11 (Stage 1) boys 11 and girls 12, Under 13 (Stage 2) boys 13 and girls 14, and Under 15 (Stage 3) boys 15 and girls 16.
• Girls-only representative teams: the NSW Female Youth Championships have an Under 13 girls' shield (Mollie Dive), an Under 14 girls' competition and an Under 15 girls' shield (Margaret Peden), each for girls under that age as at 31 August.
• Girls-only club teams: there are many girls-only junior competitions around NSW, with Cricket NSW describing junior cricket for girls aged 8 to 18.

Once players move to Stage 3 (Under 14 to Under 18), the same match format applies, but female players use the 142 g ball instead of the 156 g male ball.

Sources: play.cricket.com.au For Women and Girls and Junior Club Cricket pages; Cricket NSW Metro Community Carnivals, Junior Community Cup and Youth Championships female playing conditions; cricketnsw.com.au/women-and-girls.

Under Cricket Australia's junior match formats, the ball depends on the stage rather than being a separate girls' ball until Stage 3:

So a girl in Stage 3 uses the 142 g ball, which is also the ball used in Stage 2. Some Cricket NSW competitions use the same weights for mixed groups. In the NSW Junior Community Cup, Under 12 and Under 13 teams (boys, girls and mixed) use a pink Kookaburra 142 g two-piece ball, and Under 15 teams use a 156 g ball. In the Cricket NSW Metro carnivals, Under 13 uses a Kookaburra Crown 142 g, Under 15 uses a Kookaburra Crown 156 g, and Under 11 uses a Kookaburra Star ball.

Smash Series Cricket uses soft balls, such as soft tennis or rubber balls.

Sources: Cricket Australia Stage 1, 2 and 3 Junior Rules (play.cricket.com.au, May 2026); NSW Junior Community Cup and Metro Community Carnivals playing conditions; play.cricket.com.au Smash Series FAQ.

1. Go to play.cricket.com.au and use the Program Finder (search by postcode) or Find a Club to see clubs, programs and competitions near you. The PlayCricket app, which you log into with CricketPlus, also shows matches for players and parents.
2. Contact the club using the details listed to confirm the right grade or age group, training nights and what you need for your first session. Clubs often have shared equipment, so you can come as you are.
3. Register to play through PlayHQ. The standard registration form lets you choose Female, Male, Non-Binary, Different Identity or Prefer not to say, and add a preferred name.
4. Once you have registered, your club or competition confirms training times, match days and season dates, and introduces you to a coach or captain.

Smash Series is different: you can register as an individual with no club or team and be placed in a team. If nothing is near you, Smash Series lets you express interest on the Play Cricket site.

For girls' competitions in NSW, Cricket NSW points players to play.cricket.com.au/play/for-kids/club-cricket to find a local club, and to your local Community Cricket Manager (cricketnsw.com.au/your-local-cnsw-contact) for Cricket Blast.

Sources: play.cricket.com.au Junior Club Cricket, Smash Series and For Women and Girls pages; Cricket Australia Transgender and Gender Diverse Guidelines (PlayHQ form); cricketnsw.com.au/women-and-girls.

Smash Series Cricket is Cricket Australia's fast, simplified format born from backyard, street, tape ball, beach and gully cricket. It suits new players, people moving on from Cricket Blast, returning players and current club players, and has flexible formats for juniors, youth and seniors (Cricket Australia lists it for ages 9 and over).

• Matches: about 60 minutes, with smaller fields and smaller teams, soft balls and modified bats, and everyone gets a chance to bat and bowl.
• Rules: simple and flexible, like backyard cricket (for example tip and run, powerplays, one hand one bounce, six and out). Team size, field size and overs can change depending on where you play and how many turn up. Full rules and variations come from your program provider.
• Equipment: none needed. Bats, balls and stumps are provided, so bring active gear, a hat and a drink bottle. Soft tennis and rubber balls are used, so protective equipment is not required, though you are welcome to bring it.
• Experience and team: no cricket experience is needed, and you do not need a club or team. You can register as an individual and be placed in a team, or register as a small group and be merged into a team.
• Where: local ovals, parks, basketball courts, indoors or even the beach, run through your state or territory cricket association.
• Women and girls: Cricket NSW, for example, runs Girls Smash for girls aged 8 to 14 (new and experienced) and Twilight Women's Smash for women aged 16 and over, with 60 to 90 minute social games.

Sources: play.cricket.com.au Smash Series Cricket and Junior Club Cricket pages; cricketnsw.com.au/women-and-girls.

As an example of a state girls-only representative competition, Cricket NSW's 2026-27 Youth Championships T20 playing conditions for female competitions cover the Mollie Dive Shield (Under 13), the Under 14 Girls and the Margaret Peden Shield (Under 15). Age is worked out as at 31 August.

• Squad: up to 13 players, with only 11 fielding at a time and two players not batting (Peden Shield squads can be 15). If needed, all 13 can bowl.
• Match: 20 six-ball overs per side, with an innings of no more than 80 minutes and a 15-minute break between innings. There are no scheduled drinks breaks, but drinks can be given at the fall of a wicket if no time is wasted.
• Bowling: no bowler may bowl more than 4 overs. Because every bowler is limited to 4 overs, there are no extra restrictions for youth pace bowlers.
• Over length: in all female cricket an over is capped at 8 deliveries, including wides and no-balls. The final over of an innings must have 6 legal deliveries.
• Pitch: Under 13 girls play on an 18 m synthetic pitch with spring-back stumps at both ends. Under 14 and Under 15 girls play on a full-size 20.12 m pitch, on turf where possible.
• One match a day: a player cannot bat or bowl in more than one Youth Championships match on a given day (with a waiver for two back-to-back T20 matches for the same team and age group).
• Points: 3 for a win, 1.5 for a tie, draw or no result, and 0 for a loss. A tied match is not decided by a Super Over.
• Lightning: play stops at once if thunder follows a lightning flash by less than 40 seconds, and does not resume until 30 minutes after the last flash.

Selection for these teams is made through your local junior association.

Source: NSW Youth Championships Playing Conditions, 20 Over Cricket (T20), Female (Season 2026-27).

Under Cricket Australia's Transgender and Gender Diverse Guidelines, associations, clubs and indoor centres must let players take part in community cricket competitions in line with their gender identity, whether or not it matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Community cricket includes Premier Cricket and indoor cricket, but not elite competitions.

• Registration: the player nominates their gender identity when they register for the competition, and should show a commitment that it is consistent with their gender identity in other parts of everyday life. This can be shown in many ways, such as pronouns, appearance, given name, medication or legal changes. The standard PlayHQ registration form offers Female, Male, Non-Binary, Different Identity and Prefer not to say, plus a preferred name field.
• No medical tests: clubs must never ask a player to undergo a medical examination or provide hormone evidence for gender verification.
• Privacy: clubs must collect only the personal information they truly need, with consent (a parent's or guardian's consent for under 18s), store it securely, and not disclose a player's gender identity without their express consent.
• Safe environment: correct names and pronouns must be used, players can choose the uniform they are comfortable in, and homophobia, transphobia, discrimination, harassment and victimisation are not accepted. Discrimination on the basis of sex or gender identity in sport can be unlawful under federal and state laws unless an exemption applies.
• Fair play: clubs use their normal grading and selection practices, umpire adjudication of dangerous and unfair bowling, and protective equipment, applied consistently to all players.

The guidelines were last reviewed in October 2023. Elite cricket has a separate policy.

Source: play.cricket.com.au Transgender and Gender Diverse Guidelines.

Elite cricket has its own policy, separate from community cricket. Cricket Australia's Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players in Elite Cricket Policy (Version 2.0, issued 12 August 2026) applies to the WBBL and BBL, the Australian domestic one-day competition, the T20 Spring Challenge, the Futures League and the National Under 19 Female and Male Championships, along with matches against touring or invitational sides.

• Under 16: a player under 16 at the time of nomination may play in the category that matches their gender identity.
• 16 and over, gender identity female and sex assigned male at birth: may play in the male category, and must apply to Cricket Australia's Head of Integrity to have their eligibility for the female category decided by an Expert Panel. The application must be made at, or before, the time a state, WBBL or T20 Spring Challenge team approaches the player with a contract offer, and it is confidential.
• Testosterone requirement: the application must show whether the player's serum testosterone has been below 2.5 nmol/L continuously for at least 24 months before applying, supported by medical records.
• Gender identity male and sex assigned female at birth: may play in the male category, and may play in the female category provided they have not undergone any treatment to increase their testosterone levels.
• Non-binary, sex assigned female at birth: may play in either category. Non-binary, sex assigned male at birth: may play in the male category, and must apply to the Expert Panel for the female category.
• No player is required to undergo any medical assessment, surgery or treatment, or to have legal recognition of their gender identity.

Source: Cricket Australia, Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Diverse Players in Elite Cricket (v2.0, 12 August 2026).

Cricket Australia's Junior Pace Bowling Workload Guidelines apply to young male and female pace bowlers. They aim to reduce lumbar bone stress injury, a stress injury to the lower back bones that is most common in teenage pace bowlers, because bones grow quickly before they become strong.

• Under 17, the 1, 3, 5 rule: 1 day off bowling after a bowling day, a maximum of 3 bowling days a week (matches and training count), and a maximum of 5 overs in a spell.
• Aged 17 to 19, the 2, 4, 6 rule: no more than 2 bowling days in a row, a maximum of 4 bowling days a week, and a maximum of 6 overs in a spell.
• Pre-season build-up: 2 weeks of gradual bowling before a season or tournament for Under 13, 4 weeks for ages 13 to 15, 6 weeks for ages 15 to 17 and 8 weeks for ages 17 to 19.
• Back pain: if you feel lower back pain when bowling, stop bowling and see a sports doctor or physiotherapist experienced with these injuries before you bowl again. These injuries can develop without pain at first.

Source: play.cricket.com.au Junior Pace Bowling Workload Guidelines (April 2026).

Cricket Australia's players code of behaviour asks you to:

• play by the rules and never argue with an umpire (if you disagree, your captain, coach or manager can raise it during a break or after the game)
• control your temper, with no verbal abuse of officials, no sledging and no deliberately provoking or distracting an opponent
• work equally hard for yourself and your teammates, and applaud good play by either team
• treat everyone as you would like to be treated, and not bully or take unfair advantage
• respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of gender, ability, cultural background or religion

Reporting a problem: you can make a complaint about discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, victimisation or other prohibited conduct to your state or territory cricket association (for example Cricket NSW, Cricket Victoria, WA Cricket or Queensland Cricket). You can also contact Cricket Australia at childsafe@cricket.com.au, or its Core Integrity hotline on 1300 FAIR GAME (1300 3247 4263), fairgame@coreintegrity.com.au or online at qrs.ly/FairGameCA. The Australian Human Rights Commission or your state human rights body can also assist.

Victimising someone for making a complaint is an offence under federal and state law, and Australian Cricket does not tolerate it.

Sources: play.cricket.com.au Players code of behaviour; Cricket Australia Transgender and Gender Diverse Guidelines (complaints section).