MAIDEN NEWS - MEDIA COVERAGE

New research from cricket apparel range Maiden has found that playing competitive sports when young has helped British workers later in life as they face the challenges of the modern-day workplace.

Better team players

When asked if it has made them a better team player, 69% of people thought so – that was 69% of men and 56% of women. Two thirds (63%) of people believe that sports have helped them in the workplace, teaching them key skills of teamwork (64%), competitiveness (49%), respect (37%) and resilience (37%). 39% of British people also believe that playing sports when young instil good health and fitness habits later on in life.

Put off by ill-fitting sportswear

Despite these positive stats and 70% of girls saying they enjoy playing sport, a third (36%)[1] are put off at school because of the limited ill-fitting sportswear available to them. A quarter (25%) of girls today say this sportswear makes them feel self-conscious, while nearly half of women (44%) say they wouldn’t wear kit if it was uncomfortable, not fit for purpose for their time of the month (35%) or if sweat marks show easily (27%).

Affecting the talent pipeline?

The fact that so little attention has historically been given to girls’ sports clothing could be affecting the talent pipeline of women in the workplace. With girls dropping out of sports at an early age, they lose all the benefits that sports teach that can then be transferred to the workplace, encouraging more women at senior positions

Skills lasting a lifetime

Suzy Levy, Author of Mind the Inclusion Gap and Managing Director at The Red Plate says: “The benefits of keeping young girls in sport last well beyond the team or the trophy. Sport develops skills which last a lifetime. Having brands like Maiden, who recognise the positive impact that sports kit purposefully designed for and by women and girls, is important for inclusion.”  

Maiden Cricket - tackling the issue

In the girls’ cricket world, Honor (16) and Cat (15) Black are tackling the issue. They are fed up with having to wear uncomfortable and ill-fitting cricket clothes made solely for boys when playing their game for the last eight years so came up with Maiden Cricket Clothing which launched in March 2024. Their range aims to empower, inspire and redefine the game for young female cricketers aged eight to 18. The designs are meticulously crafted to girls’ unique needs – both in terms of function and fashion, encouraging them to feel, look and play their best.  

Maiden Founder, Honor Black (16) says: “Playing Cricket was all I wanted to do at school, it’s a brilliant strategic game and team sport. It’s so motivating to hear that playing competitive sports puts you in good stead for the future. However, why do girls have to wear ill-fitting kit, feel self-conscious and distracted when really the focus should be on the game and team performance? We created Maiden to show girls that it doesn’t need to be this way; you can look good and play your best in kit that is tailored for girls.  We want to encourage more young people into the sport to experience the huge benefits that it brings – creating camaraderie, teaching you resilience, and improving your mental health which is so important for young people today. 

Championing girls' cricket

“We want to also champion girls’ cricket from when someone discovers the game at school or through their community. If we can build a bigger and stronger community, this will empower current players and others for the future. We have had an overwhelming response since we launched six weeks ago, with over 150 applications for The Maiden Rising Stars Programme,  telling us their stories and why they want to be part of the Maiden Mission. Our mission is to make sure girls are seen equal to boys in schools when it comes to PE and Sports – which will then filter through to the workplace. We need to all work together to encourage the next generation of sporting heroes.” 

Maiden launched in March 2024 and has so far received rave reviews with many saying that a change in girls’ cricket ware hasn’t come soon enough. They have created a Rising Stars partnerships programme, celebrating up and coming cricketing talent in the UK and have received hundreds of applications – showing a real love of the sport.

 

[1] According to their mothers

Maiden research: 2,000 women surveyed

• A third (36%) of women put off playing sport because of sportswear while two fifths (38%) say there isn’t equal investment into boys and girls sports
• Nearly half (43%) of respondents said their daughters didn’t play their best because of the sportswear used
• Maiden - a new cricket apparel range designed specifically for girls to look, feel and play their best on the cricket pitch has launched

Ill-Fitting Clothing and Boys’ Hand-Me-Downs to Blame

New research from recently launched cricket apparel range Maiden has found that many girls are put off taking part in sports because of the nature of the clothes they have to wear.

That’s despite 70%[1] of girls saying they enjoy sport.

The survey of 2,000 women found that a third (36%)[2] of mothers said that they or their daughters had been put off taking part in sports because of their sportswear in the past.

Feeling self-conscious

When it comes to girls today, a quarter (25%) are unhappy with their sportswear, saying that it made them feel self-conscious,[3] while nearly half of women (44%) said they wouldn’t wear sportswear if it was uncomfortable[4], and would not play if it was not fit for purpose during their time of the month  (35%) or if sweat marks show easily (27%).

Nearly half (43%) of respondents said their daughters felt they didn’t play their best at a sport because of the sportswear used.[5]

Equipment and clothing designed for women?

Wearing unsuitable and ill-fitting sportswear can affect girls’ ability to play sports at top level or can make them more prone to injury. In fact, a recent BBC survey in March 2024[6] of 143 elite British sportswomen found that the majority of equipment they used was not specifically designed for a woman with just under a quarter saying they thought its quality could cause them harm.

In the Maiden research, half of women who could be put off by sportswear (50%)[7] said that wearing more suitable sportswear would improve their self-confidence, while two fifths (40%) said they felt it would improve their performance in the sport they are playing.

The fact that so little attention has historically been given to girls’ sportswear is a huge issue that is today being tackled by schoolgirls, Honor (16) and Cat (14) Black. Fed up with having to wear uncomfortable and ill-fitting cricket clothes made solely for boys, they came up with Maiden, a clothing range that empowers, inspires and redefines the game for young female cricketers. The designs are meticulously crafted to girls’ unique needs – both in terms of function and fashion, encouraging them to feel, look and play their best.

While the introduction of Maiden is a great step to grow the talent from entry level which will bring more equality onto the cricket pitch for the future, there is still a long way to go.

Investment into girls' sports

When it comes to investment in sport, two fifths (38%)[8] of women believe that schools, clubs and the government fall well short on investing equal amounts of time, money and effort into girls’ sports as they do for boys.

The main arguments for investing more were to drive more female participation in sport (55%)[9], improving positive mental health amongst girls (48%) and driving a greater sense of diversity in sports (45%). There was a call for a greater range of sizes (58%)[10], more choice in fabrics and brands (51%) and sports kits more suited for the challenges specific for females (e.g. having periods – 48%).

Girls should be focused on playing sports

There is also the issue around the sexualisation of sportswear. Nearly half (41%)[11] of women say that female sportswear has been sexualised.

Maiden Founder, Honor Black (16) says: “The fact that so many girls feel self-conscious wearing sportswear, when they really should be focusing on playing their best, is terrible. We created Maiden to encourage more girls into sport and experience the huge benefits that it brings – creating camaraderie, teaching you resilience, and improving your mental health which is so important for young people today.

“We want to champion girls’ cricket and build a community where girls feel empowered. We have had an overwhelming response since we launched six weeks ago, with so many parents and girls contacting us saying they have been put off sport because of kit which is extremely sad, both for the individual who could have reaped all the benefits of a sport they love, and the future of female sports as a nation. We want to educate and work with organisations to ensure girls sports are seen equal to boys in schools, which is where it all begins, and also clubs and cricket associations nationwide. We need to all work together to encourage the next generation of sporting heroes.”

 

NOTES

[1] Q2 – how much does your daughter enjoy sport?

[2] Q8 – have you or your daughters ever been put off taking part in a sport?

[3] Q4 – does you daughter ever let you know that their sportswear makes them feel any of the following?

[4] Q11 – would any of the below put you off from wearing sportwear yourself?

[5] Q3 – when it comes to your daughter’s sportswear, do or did they ever feel they couldn’t play their best because of the following?

[6] BBC Elite British Sportswomen's Study 2024: The challenge of finding kit for women - BBC Sport

[7] Q12 – do you think wearing sportwear you like can lead to any of the following?

[8] Q9 – do you believe that schools, clubs and the government invest equal amount of time, money and effort into girls’ sport as it does to boys?

[9] Q10 – what benefits do you think could happen if schools, clubs and the government were to invest more money and effort into women’s sport?

[10] Q16 – which if any changes do you think could be made in the sportswear industry to make them more available and satisfactory for users?

[11] Q18 – do you believe sportswear has become sexualised at all?

Honor discussing all things Maiden Cricket on the Let's Do the Right Thing podcast:

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In the run-up to International Women's Day, Let's Do The Right Thing profiles the achievements of some inspirational leaders.

From the idea, to day one of launch

Mine and Cat’s journey, or more like Maiden’s journey, started when we were very young.

I was six years old at Barnes cricket club in London. My father had taken us there as a weekend activity. Unfortunately for him we loved it. However, the differences between boys’ and girls’ sport were self-evident - there were 30 boys and me. Even the coach (an ex-England player – we won’t name names), didn’t recognise that I was the only girl in the squad. Until I got my first wicket.

Girls playing cricket

Not much changed when we moved out of London and joined a school in West Sussex. The options for playing cricket weren’t available to girls and we had to make do with rounders (which didn’t feel like a sport to us at all). We were, however, “allowed” to bowl (but not bat because of our lack of kit) in the boys’ nets at break time. Even though the supervising teachers could see that we “could play” – but we weren’t allowed to join a team.

After another year and some badgering, the school let girls who were already playing cricket for their county join a boys team, albeit those who weren’t playing county, weren’t allowed to play cricket. Roll forward another year (Cat having topped bowling averages across the boys’ team), we were finally allowed to have a dedicated girls’ team.

No cricket clothes for girls

During this time, nothing fitted - my father had to endure countless comments of why I had to wear my brother’s stuff. It didn’t fit, it smelt, it was see-through, it was baggy; even the new stuff we bought said “unisex” - really?!

So, aged 14, having a casual family dinner, yet again bemoaning our cricket kit, my father, possibly exacerbated, said well “why don’t you do something about it?” So, we started brainstorming.

Family history

My grandparents were immigrants from Germany, my great grandfather started his own shoe and slipper business, my grandfather and his brother did the same, my father started his own business and his three brothers too, so you could say starting a business runs in the family.

Post brainstorming, we agreed that whilst we couldn’t change the world just yet, we could make cricket kit for girls and this would be the basis and starting point to make the world of girls cricket and girls sport where it rightfully should be.

Learning about fabrics, and designing cricket clothing

So where next? Fast forward to June 2022, we had a holiday in Portugal, near Porto. Previously we’d chatted about the idea and my uncle mentioned he was helping  two girls with their online linen and nightwear business (Secretlinen). They were using a great family-owned Portuguese factory called Bless for their manufacturing and introduced us. So, we took a day out of the holiday (OK it was raining) and we went for a visit. Silvia (another female entrepreneur), showed us round her factory. She had over 70 fabrics on the cutting room table and numerous garments - both sports and fashion, that her factory was producing for different clients.

We were hooked, it was fascinating. We learnt why you use certain fabrics, what treatments worked for different parts of the body - she explained the process, the detail, the requirements. She helped us put together 12 different fabrics that could work for what we were looking for.

Back to the UK, we found Nikki. She was a designer, had worked with multiple brands and been a leading women’s designer. She patiently took us through the “how” of the design process. We worked countless weekends and evenings, redrawing, redesigning and nailing down the features that we needed. We then briefed these to Silvia in Portugal. Samples arrived, we redrew, we redesigned, we repeated again and again. Plus, another ‘working weekend’ back out to Portugal, until we finally had something that felt, looked and performed like a “Maiden Cricketer” should.

Maiden brand is born

In the meantime, we also needed our brand. We worked with Graham and his son Sam (who was studying design). We brainstormed names (credit to my grandfather – well lots of people claimed credit for the name) and settled on Maiden. A nod to the cricketing connotation (maiden over) but also, more obviously, for girls.

Back to Sam and Graham, we had to write a brand brief, who the target audience was, what was the problem we were trying to solve, what kind of personality Maiden is, what insights did we have. We went through four or five brand iterations of defining and honing down on its essence, before then finally beginning to look at colour palettes, logo, type face, etc.

We then had to run a photo shoot and photography - step forward Ricky Knight @ Pickled Egg. I’d played cricket with his son at school. I bored him about our Maiden story, and he agreed to help us storyboard and shoot our first collection. Venues, shoot brief, videos, and every little detail to make sure the shoot reflected the brand and its purpose and soul.

Maiden website build... and launch!

So now we had a product, we had a brand, we had imagery, we needed a website. We found Tom (who’d actually coached Ricky’s son at hockey) who helped build our Shopify website, we chatted to some of my dad’s old developers in Goa and Maiden Cricket clothing eventually born.

Gosh… it’s a learning process, it’s a team effort (like a cricket team), it’s exhausting, it’s frustrating and it’s wonderful. All of this to just get to the start line. There are so many other people we should thank that have helped get us to Day 1. I suspect most people never stop to think just how hard it is to just get to the launch of a product, but here we are, day 1 of Maiden Cricket!

We don’t have big budgets, we don’t have a huge range, but what we do have is bags of passion, a fabulous product and a message that change is coming for girls cricket everywhere.

Honor and Cat xx

Teenage founders empowering the female cricket world with girls' apparel range

Don’t worry boys – we’ll take it from here! Today marks the dawn of a new era in girls cricket with the launch of Maiden – a clothing range that empowers, inspires and redefines the game for young female cricketers.

Fed up with having to wear uncomfortable and ill-fitting cricket clothes usually made solely for boys, Honor and Cat Black came up with the designs for Maiden to help girls feel more confident on the cricket field. More than just a brand, Maiden is a declaration that cricket – with all its passion and excitement, is for EVERYONE, played at the very top level by both boys AND girls, with over 1 million women and girls playing cricket worldwide! (According to The International Cricket Council (ICC))

But, the clothing worn by young girls starting out or training each week is not made for them, often hand-me-downs from older brothers or boys’ kits that don’t take into account a girls’ curves, comfort or style.

Honor and Cat Black are on a mission to reshape the future of female cricket with their innovative designs, meticulously crafted to girls’ unique needs – both in terms of function and fashion, making girls feel confident on the pitch, encouraging them to play and look their best. The apparel is both stylish and comfortable, ensuring it won’t let you down – a common fear for girls who regularly have to wear whites or sports kit.

Honor Black, 16, Co-Founder of Maiden says:

“It’s been a journey of passion and dedication. Cricket was a game we fell in love with as kids. But, every time we wore those oversized jerseys and trousers, it felt like we were borrowing someone else’s dream. With Maiden, we want every girl to know that this dream is theirs, too.

“We put a lot of thought and detail into each of the clothing’s designs and have had really positive feedback from girls who have tried them so far. We want to champion girls’ cricket; highlight what a fantastic sport it is in instilling confidence in young women and in building a community of girls supporting girls, championing others’ success and looking and feeling good along with way.”

Cat Black, 13, Co-Founder of Maiden adds:

“Maiden is more than just clothing. It’s about creating a sense of belonging; a community where girls, whether they are players or supporters, feel empowered and seen.”

The launch range includes Mid-on Tops, Pace Pullovers, Nightwatch and Test Match Trousers together with prices ranging from £35. Ethically made in Portugal, the products are sustainable and durable. The girls strongly feel that they have a responsibility to be protective towards the environment for future generations of female cricketers.  

Maiden are currently on the lookout for Maiden ambassadors – young female cricketers keen to wear the apparel on the field and inspire other girls to play and look their best. Those interested in becoming an ambassador please fill out a form.

The products are available to buy from the Maiden website.