Belinda 'Chop' Cunningham just wants girls to be able to play cricket.
"We've got girls in our team who were part of the Afghanistan cricket team; they got smuggled out of their country in suitcases - it's horrific - and all they want to do is play cricket," she says.
"Our club is amazing. We have every gender, every race, every age and ability. It doesn't matter who you are, you're welcome at our club."
Chop's pivotal role in cricket, and efforts to create pathways and improve facilities for girls and women, have been recognised with two gongs in the annual Knox Sport and Leisure Awards.
The president of Mountain Gate Cricket Club was honoured with the Women in Sport Leadership and Club Person of the Year - Adult awards.
Chop's journey started when she became coach of her club's junior under 12 team.
"That was like some revelation; they'd never had women coaches in the team program before," she said.
"Then I joined the club committee because I was horrified with how the juniors were given senior men's uniforms, so we had our eight-year-old kids in men's small tops that came down past their knees."
During the Covid pandemic, Chop joined the committee of the Ferntree Gully and District Cricket Association (FTGDCA), where she began carving a pathway for girls to play.
"We let our girls play in the men's division, we let our girls play anywhere they wanted to in the club, but there was no female avenue for our girls," she says.
"I'd coached these girls since they were eight-year-olds so they were mine. I wanted to start a women's team so we had a pathway for our girls."
The new women's team made the grand final in the Ringwood District Cricket Association (RDCA) B grade their first season.
"The women's teams that had joined the RDCA wanted to play against the same teams as our men as part of the FTGDCA so the following season we created a women's comp at association level," Chop says.
"The first year, we had five teams. The next year, we had 10 teams. The current season, I'm up to 13 teams so far. It doubled in one year because clubs started to see the benefits of women's teams."
Chop joined the RDCA women's committee to help keep the pathway between associations strong and has a guiding role on Council's Recreation and Leisure Committee.
"My goal is to have all the FTGDCA clubs have women's teams and not just as a novelty but with the same access and belonging, not having to fight for the right just to play."
If you know a local sporting hero or have a local sporting story to share, nominate them in our 2025 Sport and Leisure Awards to ensure they get the recognition they deserve. Nominations open 17 January 2025.
Visit knox.vic.gov.au/knoxsportandleisureawards for more information.
