Following the success of its inaugural year, MCC, Sky Sports and leading cricket charity, Take Her Lead, have announced the return of the Young Female Broadcaster of the Year competition.
This year’s competition continues the mission to increase opportunities for young women aspiring to build a career in sports broadcasting, while uncovering and supporting the next generation of female broadcasting talent in cricket.
The winner of the 2025 edition will receive an unrivalled opportunity to join the Sky Sports team in the iconic Barclays Media Centre at Lord’s for live broadcast coverage at The Hundred Final on Sunday 31 August 2025.
The competition is open to 18-24 yr-old female aspiring broadcasters, and welcomes entries from all levels of experience - whether you’re just starting out, or already exploring the world of sports media.
A shortlist of runners-up, selected by a judging panel made up of representatives from MCC, Sky Sports, current broadcasters, and chaired by Isa Guha on behalf of Take Her Lead, will be invited to Lord’s for England’s ODI against India on Saturday 19 July. There, they will enjoy an unforgettable behind-the-scenes experience of sports broadcasting and learn from some of the best cricket broadcasters in the business.
The competition comes at a time of remarkable growth for women’s and girls’ cricket. In 2024, 15 match days at Lord’s featured women’s cricket, and looking ahead to 2026, the ground will host its first-ever women’s Test match between England and India, before welcoming the ICC Women’s World Cup final.
MCC, Sky Sports, and Take Her Lead remain united in their commitment to advancing opportunities for women and girls in cricket. This initiative also complements MCC’s wider efforts through the MCC Foundation Hubs programme, which has seen female participation increase by 55% over the past two years.
Sky Sports continued to lead the way with women’s sport broadcast coverage in 2024, covering more hours of women’s sport than any other broadcaster and having over a third of total viewing hours.
Take Her Lead, established in 2022 by broadcaster and former England cricketer Isa Guha, aims to advance equity and inclusion, while increasing participation in all areas of the game for women and girls.
Recent data from the National Council for Training of Journalists (NCTJ) shows encouraging growth in the number of females registering for NCTJ-accredited sports journalism courses across the UK, rising from 14% in 2022/23 to 20% for 2023/24. However, this still falls short of the target 25%, highlighting the ongoing underrepresentation of women in journalism and sports media.
Katie Maier, Chief Marketing Officer at MCC, said: “After the success of year one, we are delighted that MCC Young Female Broadcaster is back for year two, in collaboration with Sky Sports and Take Her Lead.
“The winner will once again have the unrivalled opportunity to join the Sky Cricket team as part of their live broadcast of The Hundred Final in August and gain invaluable experience to accelerate their career aspirations.
“This is an exciting time for women and girls’ cricket, with more opportunities than ever for females to play at Lord’s and a year of milestones ahead in 2026, including welcoming India for the first ever Women’s Test match and hosting the ICC Women’s World Cup Final in its new expanded format.
“The return of the MCC Young Female Broadcaster initiative underscores our dedication to supporting emerging talent in cricket not just on the field, but off the field too, and we encourage all aspiring young females wanting to get into broadcasting to apply!”
Isa Guha, Founder of Take Her Lead, added: “MCC Young Female Broadcaster is really important to Take Her Lead and is strongly aligned with our mission to help women and girls participate in cricket, in all forms, through amplifying her voice, connecting across the cricket community and empowering through role models and education.
“The 2024 winners, Jessica and Regina, and the shortlisted entries, have gone on to secure numerous opportunities in cricket, including working with us here at Take Her Lead, and travelling to India to work at the IPL. I look forward to seeing the 2025 applicants and really encourage any aspiring broadcaster to get involved to see what doors this campaign can open for them!”
Bryan Henderson, Director of Sky Cricket commented: “We are delighted to once again partner with MCC and Take Her Lead on this amazing initiative. Last year, the six finalists were of a terrific standard and it’s so pleasing to see them progress within the industry since.
“We are looking forward to finding even more talent this summer, who will once again join our broadcast team for The Hundred Final at Lord's as the Young Female Broadcaster initiative continues to support women taking their first steps within the broadcast industry”.
Building on the success of 2024, winners Regina Suddahazai and Jessica Crowe enjoyed a career-defining experience at Lord’s and have since been involved in numerous projects and opportunities, including roles with MCC’s digital team, Take Her Lead, and the Indian Premier League, helping accelerate their broadcasting careers.
2024 Young Female Broadcaster of the Year, Jessica Crowe added: “The competition gave me the confidence I needed to break into the industry. It offered invaluable insight into broadcasting, with the chance to learn from some of the very best. The experience of working with Sky has really helped me to step into presenting roles feeling prepared and capable.”
Think you’ve got what it takes to be the next MCC Young Female Broadcaster of the Year?
Submit a showreel of your best go at a match report, match commentary, video blog or interview.
Enter now