Durham Cricket are delighted to be teaming up with The International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport ahead of the IWG Global Summit 2026.
The collaboration coincides with England Women hosting New Zealand this summer at Banks Homes Riverside – in which Durham Cricket will host a collective North East signing of the Brighton Declaration.
England Women open their international summer in Chester le Street and tickets are selling fast for a Sunday afternoon of 50 over cricket going up against New Zealand, with tickets available here.
With Durham Cricket awarded a Tier 1 professional women’s team in 2024, 2025 saw women’s professional cricket played in Chester le Street for the first time and with a successful women and girls pathway – the County are delighted to be teaming up with the IWG.
A standout story of the year was the continued rise of women’s cricket in Durham. In 2025, 510 women’s fixtures were played across the county, up from 270 the previous year, while the number of women’s teams increased to 60. Women’s games in Durham have increased by more than five times since 2023, underlining the pace of growth in just two years.
Founded in Brighton in 1994, the IWG is the world’s largest network dedicated to advancing gender equity and equality in sport, physical education and physical activity.
The Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration is the leading global framework for advancing gender equality in sport and physical activity. First launched in Brighton in 1994 and reinforced in Helsinki in 2014, it now has the backing of more than 600 organisations worldwide.
With Durham Cricket being the venue for England Women’s international season opener the County will bring together regional Foundations hosted by North East key leaders.
Every four years, IWG convenes a global summit, and the 2026 edition in Birmingham is set to be the foremost gathering of its kind, attracting 1,200 senior leaders, decision-makers and stakeholders from across the globe to exchange best practices, share ground-breaking research and shape the future of gender equity in sport.
Phil Collins, Durham Cricket Chair said: “Durham Cricket is proud to support the collective signing from the leaders Global Summit on Women and Sport, the world’s largest gathering of leaders in women’s sport.
“To bring the North East community together and for key leaders to sign the Brighton Declaration is a huge honour for us at Durham Cricket and a proud moment for the County.
“This signature is a powerful statement of our shared commitment to continue to create better sporting opportunities for women and girls worldwide, and at every level.
“I’m really looking forward to England Women returning to Banks Homes Riverside this summer and putting on a show both on and off the field.”