History
In May 2011, "Coupe de France Féminine" was established as part of a continuing commitment to the women's game in France. The first ever representative France women's team, les "Dames de France" played against Jersey Ladies (2011, Saumur and 2013, Jersey). [9] Creation of an Indoor Women's National Championship is the newest development, involving four teams over four tournaments in 2013.
Older women too play in some clubs alongside their male counterparts, but efforts are now being specifically directed to involving women of all ages in the sport as part of the high priority being given to the development of women's cricket. [10]
Fraud allegations and squad disbandment
In November 2023, France 24 reported that the Association France Cricket had allegedly overexaggerated the popularity of women's cricket to access additional funding from the ICC, including by reporting results from "ghost matches" which did not actually take place. It was also reported that France may have failed the eligibility criteria for the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, which required a minimum of eight domestic women's teams playing at least five hard-ball matches each year. An ICC spokesperson stated that "France's entry into the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers was determined by domestic activities that took place in 2021 and 2022 and pre-Covid", but that "members are also obliged to confirm to us that the information they provide to us is true and accurate". [11] In response, the Nantes Cricket Club reportedly "sent a request to state prosecutors and police asking for an investigation into alleged fraudulent activity by the association". [12]
Following the publication of the allegations by France 24, seventeen members of the French women's national squad signed an open letter calling for an official investigation into France Cricket's conduct. According to national team player Alix Brodin, some of the signatories to the letter received pressure from France Cricket not to proceed with publication. On 16 November 2023, France Cricket's sporting director Saravana Durairaj informed Tara Britton that she and her teammates would be suspended for breaching the organisation's code of conduct, which banned public criticism of the organisation. The French national team was subsequently withdrawn from the inaugural T10 Women's European Cricket Championship in December 2023. Players were asked to return their uniforms and were reportedly informed by France Cricket that they could only return to national selection if they apologised for the letter. [12]
In April 2024, France 24 published further allegations of misconduct, documenting that three matches in division two of the women's national league supposedly held in April 2023 did not take place. It was additionally reported that, following the disbandment of the existing women's squad, that France had sought to incorporate members of the New Caledonia women's national cricket team into its national squad in order to meet eligibility requirements for the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup qualification process. [12]
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Jersey at Parc du Grand Blottereau, Nantes; 31 July 2019
Fiji at N'Du Stadium, Nouméa; 13 March 2025
