The National Governing Bodies for cricket, hockey and netball have joined forces in a bid to encourage 150,000 schoolgirls to play team sports.

The initiative named, TeamUp has been launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board, England Hockey and England Netball. Their aim is to engage with more than 15,000 schools over the next three years to help them increase their offer in cricket, netball and hockey for girls aged between seven and thirteen.

There are 6,000 teachers involved in the scheme and over half of those will have access to free training, being offered in partnership through the Youth Sport Trust.

The initiative is being launched to coincide with the England hosting three Women’s World Cups in a row, cricket in 2017, hockey in 2018 and netball in 2019.

Schools that register for the TeamUp portal are also eligible to apply for free tickets for the tournaments or win opportunities for their students, including being ball girls during the games.

Sports Minister, Tracey Crouch said, “Our elite women’s cricket, hockey and netball teams have enjoyed great success in recent years, not least through the unforgettable hockey gold medal in Rio.”

“Hosting three consecutive women’s world cups is a perfect opportunity to build on this momentum and get more girls playing and enjoying team sports. The TeamUp campaign will maximise the legacy of these events and help inspire the next generation of women sport stars.”

Source: Health Club Management