FairBreak Global
FormerlyWomen's International Cricket League (WICL)
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded2013 (2013)
FoundersLisa Sthalekar, Shaun Martyn
Key people
Shaun Martyn, Geoff Lawson
BrandsFairBreak Invitational T20
Services
Websitefairbreak.net

FairBreak Global is an Australian company that aims to improve gender equality, especially in relation to the game of cricket.[1] In particular, it seeks to improve the financial gap between men's and women's cricket, along with differences in quality of play and available opportunities for women.[2]

The company's main activity is the organisation and management of a women's cricket competition, the FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament.[3]

Objectives

FairBreak's vision is "[a] world where people have fair and equal access to opportunities that enable them to succeed in their chosen endeavor, independent of gender or geographical location."[4] Its mission statement is "to create opportunities that progress gender equality on a truly global scale, using cricket as our primary vehicle".[5]

History

Foundation

FairBreak was founded in 2013 by Lisa Sthalekar, a former captain of the Australian women's cricket team, and her then manager, Shaun Martyn.[6][7] Known initially as the Women's International Cricket League (WICL), the company came into existence in the aftermath of Sthalekar's retirement from international cricket, on the day Australia won the Women's Cricket World Cup in February 2013.[7][8]

Sthalekar and Martyn had been introduced to each other about a decade earlier, by former Australian men's team fast bowler Geoff Lawson, as Martyn had been looking for a female guest speaker for a function. Martyn had later become Sthalekar's manager, the first for any female cricketer. Their management contract terms were unusual, because Sthalekar, although expected to train and perform like a professional athlete, was being paid very little for her work as an international cricketer, and thus was not being rewarded in any way similar to that of her male counterparts.[6]

Even though Sthalekar, as of 2013, was the highest paid female cricketer in the world, her annual earnings as such were only A$15,000.[3] She therefore also needed to have another, full-time, job to survive.[9]

As Sthalekar's manager, Martyn helped her write her autobiography, which was published in 2012. Sthalekar then retired from international cricket. Meanwhile, Martyn and Sthalekar were considering the quality of women's cricket, the extent to which it had improved, and also what they felt was the potential worldwide audience for the women's form of the game. As the outcome of those thoughts, they established the company, with the objective of creating opportunity, education and performance for women.[6]

Early activities

Women's International Cricket League

Soon after its establishment, the company developed a proposal for a Women's International Cricket League (WICL), as a counterpart to the Indian Premier League for male cricketers. Its aim was to attract the world's best women cricketers and thus provide more opportunities and improved remuneration for female players.[1]

By late April 2014, the proposal was that a six-team women's Twenty20 (WT20) competition would be staged in Singapore over 10 to 12 days.[10][11] "Some of our tier-one players for the tournament will earn A$30,000 to A$40,000," Martyn told Fairfax Media, "And that's only in year one. We have to move that salary cap up each year as we grow the business ..."[10][11] A number of well known names in cricket, including Lawson, Clive Lloyd, and Paul Marsh, the then CEO of the Australian Cricketers' Association, were said to be supportive of the proposal.[11]

At about that time, the WICL proposal was discussed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), but was not supported by either the ICC or any of its members.[1][12] In early June 2014, Clare Connor, the then head of women's cricket at the England Cricket Board (ECB) and chair of the ICC women's committee, said that "... from an ECB perspective this competition is not on our agenda."[11] The following day, Pat Howard, the then Executive General Manager of Team Performance at Cricket Australia (CA), confirmed that "... CA has not endorsed the [WICL] competition in any way."[12] In 2013, CA had restructured its contracting system for female international and state cricketers,[12] and in May 2014, the ECB had announced that 18 women would be given upgraded contracts.[11]

As of August 2015, the proposed WICL competition had become a two-week long Twenty20 championship, and the company was partnering with Edinburgh Business School, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science and the University of Western Australia to create scholarship opportunities for leading players. That month, Martyn told Sports Business Journal that the company had been "working very hard" with cricket boards and the ICC in an effort to find "the appropriate window in the calendar". He also said that "It's about, 'How can we help develop women's cricket globally?'".[6]

For approximately a couple of years, Martyn told The Guardian in 2022, the ICC would send the company off to partner with one of its member boards in organising a cricket tournament, the board would later send the company back to the ICC to obtain permission, and the process "... just became a bit of a revolving door." Meanwhile, CA set up the Women's Big Bash League and the ECB established the Kia Super League, in what The Guardian claimed in 2022 "... was partly a deliberate attempt to take the wind out of Martyn's sails."[13]

Other initiatives

By 2016, the company had dropped the WICL proposal and had started to focus on other, more modest, initiatives.[1] That year, in partnership with Pymble Ladies College (PLC) of Sydney, Australia, the company held a FairBreak South Pacific training and development camp at King's College, Auckland, New Zealand, for 12 female cricketers from South Pacific nations and Singapore.[7][14] Sthalaker had been inspired to initiate the training camp by a documentary about the all-female-crewed Team SCA's involvement in the 2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race;[7] the coaches at the camp included Lawson, Sthalaker, and Martyn.[14] In 2017, the company, again in partnership with PLC, started an ongoing program of training a number of PLC students in the use of social media for business purposes.[15][16]

The same year, the company also began working with an Australian charity, SolarBuddy, to install solar lights in off-the-grid communities in Africa, India and Papua New Guinea.[15] The purpose of the SolarBuddy collaboration was to replace kerosene lamps, which, especially when malfunctioning, produce fumes hazardous to the impoverished families that use them.[15][17]

The first cricket match to be organised by the company, a WT20 exhibition and charity event on what was billed as the Day of Gender Equality, was staged at the Wormsley Cricket Ground in Buckinghamshire, England, on 30 May 2018.[4][18][19] The event began with a "Gender Equality summit", after which a Sir Paul Getty XI captained by Charlotte Edwards defeated a Suzie Bates-led FairBreak XI by 24 runs.[19][20][21] The FairBreak XI squad included players from 11 different countries, and the match was livestreamed online.[4][19]

Between then and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company, under its new name FairBreak, staged two further cricketing events. In July 2019, a FairBreak team of 14 players from 10 countries went on a four-game tour of the United Kingdom.[22][23][24] One of the players, Stephanie Frohnmayer, a practising gynaecologist from Germany, flew back to her home town, Munich, on the team's weekend off to deliver four babies, and then returned to London to play the MCC in back to back T20 matches.[24][25] In February 2020, a FairBreak Global XI including players from eight countries played a Bradman Women's XI captained by Alex Blackwell at the Bradman Oval in Bowral, Australia.[25][26] The match generated some unexpected publicity when the Australian government initially denied Botswanan player Shameelah Mosweu a visa to enter the country,[27][28] but that decision was swiftly reversed in time for Mosweu to travel to Bowral and take the field.[28][29]

Ongoing activities

FairBreak Invitational T20

Since the abatement of the COVID-19 pandemic, FairBreak's primary activity has been the organisation and management, in conjunction with Cricket Hong Kong, of the FairBreak Invitational T20 tournament, a competition sanctioned by the ICC.[30]

The inaugural invitational, held in May 2022, was originally scheduled to be played in Hong Kong, but was moved to Dubai due to COVID-19 restrictions. Players from 35 countries were distributed between six teams.[31][32][33]

Martyn has claimed that in staging the Invitational, which he says is "global", FairBreak is not seeking to compete with domestic women's cricket franchise tournaments. His vision has shifted, and is now centred on players from ICC Associate Member nations, who he felt were missing from the domestic franchise leagues.[13] According to Arab News, the Invitational:

"... provides a welcome opportunity for associate players to play against and alongside some of the world’s best female cricketers. It also enables players from Full Member countries to gain an understanding of the challenges faced by associate players, as well as appreciating their skill sets.

Most national cricket boards have been delighted to allow their players to take part."[1]

In another article commenting on the inaugural Invitational, Cricket Europe praised the event as 'an undoubted success', and as 'doing a great job'.[34] However, The Guardian was more cautious, commenting that "... there remain question marks over whether the enterprise is financially sustainable over the longer term," and suggesting that "[t]he idea that [Martyn] would be no threat to the ICC," if he were to achieve his goal for the Invitational "... seems naive at best."[13]

The next Invitational is scheduled to be held at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong.[35][36] It will run from 3 to 16 April 2023.[37] An additional tournament for 2023, staged in collaboration with USA Cricket, will be played in Houston, Texas, USA, between 15 and 30 September 2023.[38][39]

Other projects

At the inaugural Invitational, a researcher and a physiotherapist from Breast Research Australia, based at the University of Wollongong, held consultations with participating cricketers focusing on breast pain, injuries or any breast support issues. The consultation was intended to be a model of future care for physiotherapists and professional female athletes across all sports. Breast Research Australia aims to promote breast health awareness to women around the world, and has developed an online Sports Bra app to help women choose a correctly fitting sports bra design.[40][41]

FairBreak has also continued its collaboration with SolarBuddy in distributing solar lights. After bushfires burnt out large areas of the South Coast region of New South Wales over the Australian summer of 2019–20, Martyn, who resides in Narooma, New South Wales, arranged for 5,000 solar lights to be supplied to people in towns between Bega and Nowra who had been cut off from the electricity grid.[17]

Later in 2020, following discussions between Martyn and Sydney Sixers men's team coach Greg Shipperd, FairBreak branded its collaboration with SolarBuddy as "Captain's Cause" and, together with Shipperd, recruited national cricket team captains from around the world to endorse the collaboration.[17] The company also set two goals for the Captain's Cause initiative: to donate six million solar lights by 2030 to children living in extreme energy poverty, and to educate six million people globally about the extreme energy poverty issue.[42]

FairBreak also supports the Sri Ayyappan School in Bangalore, India, with solar lights, cricket equipment, and regular visits from ambassadors and players.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pike, Jon (5 May 2022). "Dubai hosts a new cricket tournament to grow the women's game". Arab News. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. ↑ Women's CricZone Staff (25 April 2022). "Dubai International Stadium to host FairBreak Invitational T20 from May 1". Women's CricZone. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Martin (13 May 2022). "Fair game: New T20 league shining a light on rising talents". Cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Yadav, Vishal (17 May 2018). "FairBreak XI vs Sir Paul Getty XI at Wormsley Cricket Ground". Female Cricket. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Smith, Martin (3 May 2022). "Global superstars sign on for FairBreak Invitational". Cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hrushka, Anna (21 August 2015). "Hangin' With ... Women's Int'l Cricket League Co-Founder, CEO Shaun Martyn". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Sthalekar, Lisa (13 November 2015). "Dreams can come true – @WICLNews #womeninsport #cricket #fairbreak". Lisa Sthalekar. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Lisa Sthalekar retires from international cricket". Cricket NSW. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Engineer, Tariq (1 April 2012). "A brave but incomplete story". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  10. 1 2 Barrett, Chris (29 April 2014). "Women's cricket stars to cash in with international tournament". The Courier (Ballarat). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilson, Andy (4 June 2014). "England will not release players for Women's International Cricket League". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 AAP & cricket.com.au (5 June 2014). "Women's ICL not endorsed". Cricket.com.au. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 Nicholson, Raf (11 May 2022). "The Spin | Is new women's T20 tournament in Dubai a sign of progress or a threat?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Movement". FairBreak Global. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 "Girls get down with social media / Saving lives with solar" (PDF). Pymbulletin. Pymble: Pymble Ladies College. 42: 39. December 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Leadership positions: FairBreak" (PDF). Parent Handbook. Pymble: Pymble Ladies College: 78. 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 Cameron, Louis (21 October 2020). "Aussie skippers shine a light on energy poverty". Cricket.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  18. ↑ Chidananda, Shreedutta (19 April 2018). "Charity women's cricket match to be played at Wormsley Park, U.K." Sportstar. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 WCI Team (4 May 2022). "FairBreak Global Invitational Tournament 2022: Women's Cricket Journey Towards Truly Global Game". Women's CricInsight. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "Waldron and Metcalfe star at Wormsley". Cricket Europe. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  21. ↑ "The Cricket & The Cause - both winners for Fairbreak XI". Czarsportz. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "Fairbreak XI back for a full-fledged tour of UK for "Cricket with a Cause"". Czarsportz. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  23. ↑ "FairBreak XI to play in the UK this July 2019". FairBreak. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  24. 1 2 "FairBreak UK 2019 tour wrap-up". FairBreak. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  25. 1 2 Lawson, Geoff (17 January 2020). "How women are helping cricket become the new world game". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  26. ↑ Achal, Ashwin (22 February 2022). "A visit to Bowral, home of the Don". Sportstar. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  27. ↑ Keoghan, Sarah (19 February 2020). "'Un-Australian': Female cricketer denied visa over flight risk concerns". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  28. 1 2 Skinner, Nick (23 February 2020). "EC weekly roundup: Thailand's debut, Nepal central contracts, and more". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Keoghan, Sarah (21 February 2020). "Botswanan cricketer's mad dash to Sydney after visa ban overturned". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  30. ↑ Moonda, Firdose (6 April 2022). "First-of-its-kind women's T20 event to bring together players from 35 countries". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  31. ↑ "Dubai International Stadium to host FairBreak Invitational T20 from May 1". Women's CricZone. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  32. ↑ "England stars confirmed for Fairbreak Invitational 2022". The Cricketer. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  33. ↑ "Fairbreak Invitational 2022". Fairbreak. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  34. ↑ Nixon, Andrew (8 May 2022). "8 May". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  35. ↑ Radley, Paul (16 May 2022). "FairBreak Invitational re-imagined cricket for the better – and it worked". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  36. ↑ "Global sports equality movement FairBreak 2023 coming to Hong Kong". HK Cricket. Cricket Hong Kong. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  37. ↑ Dansinghani, Jay (15 February 2023). "Cricket Hong Kong confirms Fairbreak International match schedule, ticket sales". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  38. ↑ USA Cricket Media (27 January 2023). "USA Cricket to host additional 2023 FairBreak Global Invitational T20". USA Cricket. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  39. ↑ ESPNcricinfo staff (28 January 2023). "USA to host additional 2023 FairBreak Global Invitational T20 in September". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  40. ↑ "Research into breast injuries to boost global awareness of female athletes and coaches". University of Wollongong. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  41. ↑ Collins, Adam (14 May 2022). "Not Story Time – Bras and cricket". The Final Word Cricket Podcast. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  42. ↑ "The Captain's Cause". FairBreak Global. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

Further reading

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