The England women’s performance squad and England Women’s Academy have both ventured away from the ECB’s training base at the National Cricket Performance Centre (NCPC) in Loughborough this winter to take part in a series of challenging team building and leadership scenarios.
England women, who are currently in the final preparation stages for their forthcoming tour to New Zealand, took some time out of their cricket training schedule on Thursday to be put through their paces by Officers from the 45 (R) Squadron at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
The 22 England women’s performance squad players – which includes the 15 selected for the one-day international and Twenty20 series in New Zealand next month – spent the morning undergoing elements of the RAF’s leadership development training programme, before putting their skills to the test in the RAF’s leadership assessment during the afternoon session.
Explaining the wider significance of the day at RAF Cranwell, Head of England Women’s Performance, Paul Shaw, said: “It’s fantastic that the RAF are willing to work in partnership with us in this way.
“It’s the perfect team building environment away from cricket, which is great and allows us to really get to know each other and reconnect with our values as a squad.
“The activities that we have taken part in today are definitely transferable to cricket, and will help enable us to perform well on the field, giving us the best chance of performing well in pressure situations.
“When we go to New Zealand next month, and also during the Women’s Ashes in the summer, this type of foundation will enable us to move forward and perform well on and off the field.”
After the session, England women captain Charlotte Edwards added: “It’s been a really worthwhile day; I think we have all learnt lots.
“There are a lot of share values between the England women’s cricket team and the RAF, which is something that has really stuck out for me throughout the day.
“The great thing about this type of day – when you do things outside of cricket – is that you often see different sides of people, and it is impressive to see some of the younger players in the squad really get involved.”
The session at RAF Cranwell follows the England Women’s Academy (EWA) spending a day at the Lancashire Fire and Rescue International Training Facility earlier this month.
The 12-strong EWA squad completed a series of leadership and team building tasks that new recruits are exposed to as part of their training.