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Following the
release of a damning new report that questions the organization’s culture and
approach towards women, Cricket Scotland is currently dealing with a new
crisis.
One prominent Scottish HR firm, McKinney Reports, conducted an independent,
unbiased assessment and reported that there was a “high degree of
prejudice towards female staff and players” in Cricket Scotland. The
report also noted that “antiquated attitudes and behaviour towards women
in the game are still prevalent, particularly at club level”.
The 35-page report
was released on Monday, just two years after another independent evaluation
conducted by Plan4Sport in July 2022 and titled “Changing The
Boundaries” determined that Cricket Scotland was an institutionally racist
organisation.
On the eve of the document’s publication, the entire Cricket Scotland board
resigned in response to the report, which discovered 448 distinct instances of
racism and prejudice within Scottish cricket.
The McKinney report
examined Cricket Scotland’s customs, cultures, and behaviours both before and
after the release of the Changing the Boundaries report in 2022. Culture and
inclusiveness, leadership, general habits, employment practices and wellbeing, psychological
safety, and sexism and misogyny were among its six main themes.
Nine proposals have been formulated, with a focus on general practices, as well
as on sexism and misogyny.
Trudy Lindblade,
Cricket Scotland’s CEO, said: “This report is a damning indictment of the
treatment of female players and staff within our organisation. It is evident
that Cricket Scotland allowed behaviours to take place that were disrespectful,
demeaning and deeply concerning, and that these were allowed to continue for a
significant period.
“This is completely unacceptable, and I wholeheartedly apologise to every
single person who was affected and let down by the governing body.
“This report also highlights the huge amount of work that we need to do
throughout cricket in Scotland to improve the standing of women and girls
within our sport.
“We are
committed to making the governing body and our sport welcoming and safe for all
women and girls, and together with our regional associations and clubs we will
work collectively to ensure there is no place for misogyny, sexism, or
discrimination of any kind within our sport. Our new strategy, which is to be
released shortly, will put the health and growth of women and girls’ cricket at
its forefront.”