A World Cup on home soil is a moment marketers dream of. For Charlotte Meijer, Senior Marketing Manager at The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is about more than a one off moment of marketing glory. It is about getting women’s cricket into the mainstream.

“We are in such a phenomenal place at the moment with women’s sport. We have gone from the Euros to the Rugby World Cup and riding that momentum into next summer with a home World Cup is massive,” she explains.

“It is a huge opportunity and it can have a huge impact,” she explains, sharing: “Our goal with this World Cup is to really change behaviour, to ensure that people come to the event, fall in love with the sport and keep coming back.”

Catch the spirit

To capitalise on the excitement of the World Cup, the ECB has launched a new campaign, developed by House 337, entitled ‘Catch the Spirit’.

The hero TV spot features world-class players Ellyse Perry (Australia), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Lauren Bell (England) and Richa Ghosh (India), as well as an Easter Egg appearance from cricket legend and TV personality Andrew Flintoff.

According to Meijer, placing the players front and centre is core to the strategy. She explained: “We know that fans of female sport are fans of particular players, so it was all about ensuring that our players were in the spotlight.”

She believes that getting consumers closer to the players and their experiences is core to driving fan engagement. She says: “Social, influencer and PR is a big part of this campaign because we know how important it is that current and future fans get closer to our athletes.”

Pointing to the culture-first approach of modern sports marketing, she believes that it is important not to get stuck in one lane. “We want to be at the intersection of popular culture and collaboration is key to that,” she explains. 

Harnessing the excitement of a World Cup

A World Cup guarantees unforgettable moments for fans, yet the ECB is ambitious for more. It is clear that the team is laser focused on capitalising on this once in a generation moment for women’s cricket.

Jen Vile, Marketing Director at the ECB, explains: “Next year is our moment to propel women’s cricket into the mainstream. Catch the Spirit is designed to capture the infectious energy and excitement that fans feel when a World Cup arrives on home soil. This campaign invites fans to be part of something truly memorable, and we believe this tournament has the power to ignite a lifelong passion for women’s cricket.”

The resulting campaign features the World’s best players, but with an edge of accessibility and creative quirkiness. One memorable outdoor execution features a player knitting their own batting pads. 

Josh Green, Chief Creative Officer, House 337, explained: “When a World Cup lands on home soil it doesn’t just live in the grounds, it takes over everything; the streets, the pubs, the kitchen table. Cricket becomes impossible to ignore. That’s what we wanted to capture. This isn’t just about selling tickets - although that’s hugely important - it's about showing that when history arrives, you either feel it with everyone else, or you miss it.”

Closing the participation gap

Meijer explains that the ECB has a long running commitment to empowering women and girls both to play cricket and take up leadership roles in their clubs. It is a strategy that is paying dividends. In 2024, there were 5,400 women’s and girls’ teams – over 1,000 more than in 2023 and double the number from 2021, when there were 2,700 teams. When the truth remains that if you cannot see it, you cannot be it, marketing is a huge part of this change.

The ECB is also focused on deepening fan engagement. When not all of the tournament will be available on free-to-air channels, showcasing player excellence will also be a key part of the social strategy.

“We have really seen the growth in behind the scenes content. From days in the life to get ready with me social posts, it is really important that fans can learn a lot more about the players so they can feel closer to them,” she explained. 

This new era of sports storytelling powered by social not only affords the ECB the opportunity to tell new stories but showcases the skill of the players and the joy of cricket.

“With our campaign we really are targeting a wide audience and inviting them to the table. Social and influencer, especially for our younger fans, really allows us to meet our audience where they are,” she adds.

Notably, while women’s cricket has made huge strides, this campaign does not talk about celebrating the progress of women’s sport. Instead, it focuses on the prowess of the players and the joy of the sport itself. In many ways this approach in itself is progress.

Yet there is no debating how much this campaign means to the team behind it and the collective pride that is already mounting ahead of this historic World Cup.

As Meijer explains: “For me, it is so important to be able to make work that makes a difference and makes a genuine change. It is so rewarding to be able to platform women’s cricket in this campaign.” She continues: “The reason I took this role is that I was able to platform women's sport. It is actually making change and moving things forward. When you are doing something you care about, you never accept good enough, you are always looking at what more you can do.”

The energy of striving to break boundaries means that it won’t just be wickets falling at Lord’s next year, but the boundaries and barriers which stop girls from even considering that cricket could be the sport that changes their lives forever. For marketers the question is clear: Why wouldn’t you be excited by the prospect of being part of this change?