New research commissioned by Metro Bank reveals 68% of women and girls would try new sports if they saw themselves visually represented in sports industry images. It comes as 41% of women and girls said a lack of high-quality imagery presents a barrier to getting involved in sport, with a fifth (20%) of respondents saying they had seen no photographs of women and girls playing cricket in media. School girls (aged 7-16) also cited that seeing more people like them play would inspire them to play cricket (41%)

In response, Metro Bank, in partnership with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has launched its Seeing is Believing campaign, in a bid to close the image visibility gap in women’s and girls’ cricket.

68% of women and girls said that if they see themselves visually represented, it would inspire them to try a new sport, according to new research1 commissioned by Metro Bank.

The research explored the key barriers women and girls aged 7+ face when taking up a new sport, including cricket. It revealed that a lack of high-quality imagery and visual representation presents a barrier to them getting involved in sport (41%), over half (55%) of school girls (aged 7-16) said the same. Over 90% of primary school girls (aged 7-11) said visual representation would inspire them to try sport - highlighting the importance of quality imagery from an early age, to inspire the next generation.

Looking at the visibility of images for women’s and girls’ cricket in the last 12 months, a fifth (20%) of respondents have seen no images of women and girls playing cricket, and just over a third (34%) have said they hadn’t seen enough or only a small number, demonstrating the visibility gap.

The new findings show there is huge opportunity to increase the number of women and girls playing cricket if this image gap were closed. One in three (33%) women and girls in the UK would be more likely to take up cricket if they saw more visual representation through photographs and in the media. 63% of school girls (7-16 year olds) said the same, further highlighting the importance of nurturing appetite and take up early on for younger generations.

In response to the results and to inspire the next generation of female cricketers and drive further visibility of women’s sport, Metro Bank and the ECB have created a new photography bank of high-quality images of women’s and girls’ cricket, working with Getty Images, with an aim to grow the image library over time.

The images will be accessible to local cricket clubs free of charge via the ECB Resource Hub, with professional standard imagery available to use across their websites and social channels, to assist with the formation of new teams and recruitment of players.

The research asked the next generation of potential future women’s and girls’ cricket players- what would encourage them to play cricket. The top responses for school girls (7-16 year olds) were: seeing women and girls playing at professional level (42% would be encouraged to play), knowing there are girls’ or women’s teams they can join (41%) and seeing more people like them playing cricket (41%). An increase in the visibility of role models such as women players was also a top factor that would boost the number of young girls taking up the sport (39%).

To support the initiative and help address these challenges, England women’s superstars Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp and Sophia Dunkley have taken part in a photoshoot for the campaign, supplemented by additional photography of coaches and girls teams at recreational clubs across England and Wales which feature in the catalogue.

England bowler Lauren Bell said: “Seeing is believing, and the more that women and girls can see others like them thriving in cricket, the more we are going to encourage the next generation to give it a go. When I was growing up, we didn’t see many women and girls playing the sport, so I think it is really important that clubs across the country have access to these images to help them spread the word about opportunities to play locally.”

Metro Bank is the ECB’s first-ever Champion of Women’s and Girls’ Cricket, and lead partner for the One Day women’s and men’s game. The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund2, launched in May 2024, is co-created and co-funded with the ECB. It aims to triple the number of girls’ cricket teams by breaking down barriers and creating supportive and inclusive spaces to attract and keep more girls in the sport.

Danielle Lee, Director of Brand and Marketing at Metro Bank said: “Representation matters. Our research shows that there is a gap in visibility of images of women’s and girls’ cricket, with an opportunity to address that and inspire the next generation who want to take up the sport. With the support of the ECB, we’ve worked with Getty Images to increase the variety and number of images of new grassroots photographs, focusing on the power of teamwork and relationships in the sport. Through Seeing is Believing and The Metro Bank Girls In Cricket Fund, we hope this will inspire more women and girls to get involved in cricket.”

Metro Bank and the ECB are also making the images available via Getty Images. They will be available to all media companies and brands to license globally within Getty Images’ #ShowUs Collection, to further drive efforts to move forward visual storytelling around women and girls in cricket through marketing and advertising.

Jacqueline Bourke, Senior Director of Creative EMEA at Getty Images said: “Challenging stereotypes around women and girls in sport is a key driving force behind our work at Getty Images, and we were proud to collaborate with Metro Bank and the ECB, using our creative insights as a foundation to produce the campaign. Our VisualGPS research continues to show that people want to see women’s sport portrayed through an inclusive lens from grassroots to elite level."

"By making the images widely available in our #ShowUs collection, we are encouraging not just the cricket community but also media companies and brands to promote a more authentic representation of women and girls in sport through visuals.”