Virgin Media Television is to air live coverage of the Ireland women’s cricket team for the first time in September, with two T20 internationals live from Clontarf.
Ed Joyce’s side face England at the North Dublin venue as part of the Certa Invitational Cricket Series, with live coverage across Saturday 14th September and Sunday 15th September.
The visit of the world number two-ranked T20 side to Ireland will be live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Play both days.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Cricket Ireland and Certa to broadcast live coverage of Ireland’s two upcoming T20 internationals from Clontarf,” said Mick McCaffrey, Director of News and Sport at Virgin Media Television.
“This will be the first time that women’s cricket will air on Irish terrestrial television and the timing couldn’t be better after the recent win against Sri Lanka. Seasoned cricket viewers as well as those new to the sport are certain to be hugely entertained across the weekend.”
“We are delighted that for the first time ever, women’s cricket will feature live on terrestrial television in the Republic of Ireland,” added Cricket ireland CEO Warren Deutrom.
“We would thank Virgin Media and our principal Women’s team sponsor, Certa, for their trust and partnership in this momentous occasion.”
“This is an exciting time for our game as cricket reaches new audiences across Ireland. Increasing visibility is key to inspiring the nation to support this fantastic team and encouraging the next generation to develop a love for cricket. As one of the few Irish sports offering full-time professional contracts to women, we’re committed to driving growth and providing more opportunities for female athletes to excel, supported by great partners like Certa, Butlers, Corpay and Virgin Media.”
“The awareness and subsequent growth in participation across our women and girls’ programmes has led to meaningful outcomes for Irish cricket, with women and girls now accounting for 22% of our player base across Ireland, up from 9% in 2013.”
“The last month or so has been fantastic for women’s cricket, with our historic success against Sri Lanka giving us a great boost as we approach the series against England.”
The Virgin Media coverage is supported by Certa who came on board as sponsors of the Women’s team in April 2023.
“As the title sponsor of the Ireland’s Women’s cricket team, Certa has empowered the team to continue pushing new boundaries and to perform against the top nations,” said Trevor Koen, Head of Marketing and Digital.
“We are thrilled that our shared commitment to breaking boundaries now extends to this historic series against England and that this will be first time that international cricket has been broadcast free to air in Ireland.”
“This is great step forward for women’s cricket in Ireland and we look forward to working with Cricket Ireland and Virgin Media Television to bring the eye-catching performances of the Ireland Women’s team to the widest possible audience, and to inspire hundreds more young players to follow their dream of playing professional cricket in Ireland.”
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