Today, Thursday 8 March 2018, is International Women's Day as set by the United Nations and is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.
Cricket Tasmania firmly believes and promotes the equal footing between our men's and women's players, administrators, staff, coaches, supporters and volunteers - from the grassroots right up to
With experience playing the game at the national level, Hobart Hurricanes star Sasha Moloney is eager to give back what she can to the sport.
Moloney, 25, is a ‘Game Development Officer’ at Cricket Tasmania.
“My role is to help grow the game in schools and in clubs around Tasmania, we go out and run clinics for kids and help nurture the next generation of cricketers,” she said.
Moloney had held a casual position working in game development for several years and as a key member of both the Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmanian Roar squads, appreciates the opportunity this provides her.
“As a player I want to grow the game for all boys and girls and help develop them into the talented cricketers of the future,” she said.
Moloney, originally from Longford in the state’s North, moved to Hobart five years ago.
“I played for the Longford under-16 boys when I was in primary school which was daunting. It was the only option I had available at the time.
“Now girls can start playing from the age of eight or 10 and can look toward a clear pathway that could lead to them playing cricket a high level like the WNCL or WBBL.
“You used to only see the men playing on TV but now young girls are being exposed to women playing at the highest level and seeing that there is a chance that they could one day follow in those footsteps,” she said.
Moloney has played 30 matches for the Hurricanes and had been involved in the Tasmanian Roar set up for several years. Moloney is renowned as being one of the sharpest fielders in the state and an impressive middle order batter.
WATCH: Moloney's sharp run out
It is her drive to become the best player she can be that pushes her to continue her own development.
“The constant challenges cricket presents also keeps me engaged and interested. You can never become perfect at anything so the quest of trying to continue getting better keeps me hooked,” she said.
Moloney had an impressive summer of Premier Cricket, averaging 41 with the bat for University in a season that included three half-centuries.
Moloney has noticed a significant leap in both the standard and participation of girls and women’s cricket in recent times and is excited by what the future holds.
“You can see over the last couple of years that there are now so many more opportunities for girls.
“When I was at school I was playing with the boys. Now you have T20 Blast, In2Cricket, U14, U17 and the Premier Competition for girls and women,” she said.
It was the fun of cricket and a love for the sport that first got Moloney involved in the sport and this passion for the game is yet to go away.
“I first started playing cricket to have fun and that is what has kept me in love and involved with the game for so long.
“I started off playing with the boys who were all my friends and it has stayed that way, the groups of girls I play with now are all so fantastic to be around.
“To play with a group of friends is really special – a cricket team becomes family,” she said.
This sense of fun makes her role with the budding stars of the future all the more rewarding.
“Being able to play the game is one thing but to have this role as my job is something pretty special – it is a fantastic opportunity to be able to inspire, develop and nurture the next crop of players who will hopefully go on to play for the Hurricanes, Tasmania and Australia,” she said.