Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani has called on the Big Bash to introduce a Pride round, as Hobart prepares to host its annual game on November 29
Villani leads calls for league-wide Pride round
Cricket was a refuge for a young Elyse Villani trying to find herself.
It was the place she felt safest to be her true self, and the Hobart captain wants the same for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
As the Hurricanes prepare to host their annual Pride match, against Perth Scorchers on November 29, Villani has called on other clubs and the league to follow the Hurricanes' lead, saying there was "no excuse" the competition had not followed in the footsteps of other national codes.
"For me, I was so fortunate growing up that cricket was the first space that I felt like I could be myself, at my local cricket club in Melbourne, and to have people around me that I felt like I didn't need to be anyone else, I could just be myself and I was really well supported," Villani said in Hobart on Monday.
"Whether or not you're an ally or whether or not you identify as part of the queer community, (role models) are just so important, because sport is often the last place that people of my community feel safe.
"That's what I would love (the Hurricanes) to be for young boys and girls growing up and unsure where they fit in society, for them to see that they've got great allies and great people that also feel a part of this community is just so important."
While only the Hurricanes' WBBL team will play a pride match this season, Cricket Tasmania's general manager of high performance Salliann Beams said plans were in place to introduce one into the men's schedule in 2026-27.
Beyond that, Beams echoed Villani in calling on other clubs, and the Big Bash league, to join them in making Pride matches a league-wide feature.
Speaking on Monday, Villani expressed her disappointment that a league-wide round of Pride games had not been introduced to the WBBL, as has been the case in the AFLW and Super Netball.
"I know myself and a lot of other players have been calling for (a Pride round) for a number of years," Villani said.
"It's been disappointing, to be completely honest with you, and I'm hoping that it's something that changes really quickly ... I think it's well overdue, and there's probably no excuse for it, to be completely honest.
"I'd love Cricket Australia to lead in this space ... I don't think we as a sport lead enough. We've got the platform, and I think at times we fall short on leading with this platform.
"We want to stand up and make sure that sport really is a place that every single person can feel safe, and this is certainly a step in the right direction, but there's so much more to do."
In past seasons, the Scorchers have held Pride games across their WBBL and BBL sides, while the Sixers staged WBBL Pride matches in the early years of the competition.
Each WBBL club hosts four matches per season, with their fifth 'home' game played at a neutral venue.
One of those home matches each season features as part of the league-wide First Nations round, with clubs then given freedom to dedicate their remaining home games to other causes or themes as they see fit.
A CA spokesperson said on Monday that Australian Cricket was fully committed to ensuring safe and welcoming environments for the LGBTQIA+ community to engage with and play cricket.
"Our Big Bash Clubs are brilliant at building community connection and social impact throughout the year and across the season via a range of individual and collective initiatives," a spokesperson said.
"The League works very closely with all our Clubs to support the delivery of this in their local markets and game days. We unequivocally support the Hurricanes championing and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community through its Pride Match on November 29 and will continue to support all Clubs in delivering impactful match-day experiences."
The Hurricanes' pride game will see players wear a rainbow-themed cap, and the inner fielding ring at Ninja Stadium will be rainbow painted, while they will also travel to the ground in a Pride-themed bus.
But the Hurricanes want the match to have a meaningful impact beyond the on-field bells and whistles and have this season partnered with Pride in Sport to elevate the event, with players participating in education sessions in the lead-up to the match.
"What has been key for us over the last few years is that the female playing group have led this, and what we're proud to say now, from an organisational point of view, is we want to make sure it stems from the board all the way down to the players," Beams said.
"We want to make sure that we're not just representative of what we do on the pitch, it's what we do off the pitch.
"The strength in us is through our community, making sure everyone feels themselves on the pitch and off the pitch, in the stands, our supporters, and we've got a bit of work to do in that space, but this is a great start for us.
"The education process for that has been crucial, and what we've talked about is not being passive in what we do – we want to take the lead, take responsibility, and the key thing for us is knowing that we want to be an ally, and what that means to represent that."
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.662 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.313 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.132 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.629 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
REN
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0.077 | 0 | 9 |
|
7
THU
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.124 | 0 | 9 |
|
8
HEA
|
10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | -0.869 | 0 | 1 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points