The South Australian Cricket Association has announced former South Australian captain Andrea McCauley as SACA’s first full-time head coach of the SA Scorpions.
McCauley will work alongside recently appointed SACA General Manager, High Performance and former Australian coach Tim Nielsen, and will be responsible for leading the Scorpions program for the next two seasons. Nielsen and McCauley will oversee the strategic direction of the female high performance pathway at SACA, to align all female cricket teams and programs.
SACA’s ongoing investment into women’s cricket is evident with the signing of English international and batting sensation Sarah Taylor and New Zealand dual-international Sophie Devine in June; the most significant in the Scorpions’ history. The Scorpions will also take to Adelaide Oval on New Year’s Eve in one of two double-header fixtures with the Adelaide Strikers this season.
Speaking at the recent SACA Annual General Meeting, SACA President Andrew Sinclair voiced the Association’s commitment to female cricket, noting the 31% growth in girls and women playing cricket in the last year.
“Females remain an important strategic priority and additional investment has been made in a full-time female coach, the Scorpion Cup, female Grade cricket and the introduction of a female version of the Premier League involving city-based and country teams,” Sinclair said.
“Total investment in specific female programs will increase by more than $100,000.”
SACA Chief Executive Keith Bradshaw also emphasised his commitment to invest in female participation.
“Increasing female engagement will grow the diversity of cricket’s participant and fan base. It’s a simple economic reality that in order to prosper, cricket needs more women and more people from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate as players and officials, fans and as SACA Members and employees.”
Boasting an extensive resume that includes six seasons as Scorpions assistant coach, two seasons in charge of the South Australian Under 18 Female side and numerous seasons coaching Grade cricket side West Torrens, McCauley will begin the full-time role next month ahead of the SA Scorpions Round 1 clash against the Commonwealth Bank VicSprit from 10-12 October.
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