Afghan women’s team gets support from Global Refugee Cricket Fund

The Afghanistan Women’s Cricket Team (AWCT) is the first recipient of the Global Refugee Cricket Fund launched by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the MCC Foundation. The Fund was created to provide vital support to Afghan refugees, particularly women cricketers, and to promote cricket as a tool for unity, empowerment and opportunity.

The campaign will initially focus on raising funds for “Pitch Our Future”, an Australian-led program to support players from the former AWCT. Following the ban on women’s cricket in Afghanistan, players were forced to flee the country to escape severe threats to their safety. Many of them found refuge in countries like Australia, Canada and the UK. Pitch Our Future will provide these women with safe training facilities, educational opportunities and pathways to continue their cricketing journeys in exile.

The MCC Foundation has a long history of using cricket to support vulnerable communities, with programs in countries including Afghanistan, Rwanda, Serbia, Lebanon and Italy. This new fund will amplify those efforts, offering life-changing support to those displaced by conflict and persecution.

The Fund’s objectives include:

• Empower Refugee Communities through Cricket: using cricket as a platform for inclusion and personal development.
• Support Women in Cricket Worldwide: ensuring access to cricket for women facing significant social and cultural barriers.
• Promote Global Awareness and Advocacy: amplifying voices that advocate for gender equality and the importance of sports in rebuilding lives.

Read the full story on Beyond Sport

Photo: MCC