News

Laura Charles-Price appointed Head of Talent Pathways

23 August 2024

Gloucestershire Cricket is delighted to announce the appointment of Laura Charles-Price as Head of Talent Pathways.

Laura will start her now role at the Seat Unique Stadium at the start of November having spent the last four years as Head of Women and Girls Cricket at the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation (GCF). Since starting at the GCF in autumn 2020, Laura has overseen a 167% growth in women and girls’ participation in recreational cricket and will bring with her a wealth of experience and knowledge on developing young cricketers to an elite standard.

Laura’s appointment as Head of Talent Pathways comes following Gloucestershire being awarded Tier 2 status during the recent restructure of the women’s professional game in England and Wales. This means the girls pathway will be transitioned from the GCF over to Gloucestershire Cricket and will run alongside the boys pathway. In her newly-created role, Laura will oversee the development of young players in both the boys and girls talent pathway systems which include Academy, County Age Group and Emerging Player Programmes.

Upon taking up her new role, Laura will become the first and only female in County Cricket to hold a joint Heads of Talent Pathways position and will lead the Club’s strategy for ensuring young cricketers, both boys and girls, have a clear and effective route to becoming professional athletes.

Working alongside Gloucestershire’s Pathway coaches, Laura will play an instrumental role in creating an environment that not only prepares players for professional cricket, but also ensures a rewarding experience for those who continue playing the sport at the highest recreational level.

Speaking of her gratitude for the opportunities for growth she received during her time at the GCF, Laura said: “I'm incredibly grateful for the development opportunities I've been provided during my time at the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation.

"Running the Girls' Pathway and the Women and Girls' recreational game has allowed me to build strong relationships across the county, working closely with clubs, schools and leagues."

Looking ahead to her new role, Laura added: "There is so much talent in Gloucestershire across all areas of the game and it is now my job to ensure that, as a county, we provide the environment and opportunities to bring that talent to life.

"What pleases me most is that Gloucestershire has recognised the success of the Girls' Pathway over the last four years and I’m incredibly privileged to be the first woman to hold this Head of Talent Pathways position at a First Class County."

"I hope this opens the door for more women to take on leadership roles across all areas of the game, and that it demonstrates that female leadership should not be confined to the women's game alone."

Gloucestershire Deputy Chair, David Graveney, led the recruitment panel alongside the ECB’s Di Lewis, National Talent Manager & England U19s Team Manager, Alun Powell, National Talent Manager for men’s cricket and Gloucestershire’s Head of Cricket Operations, Cameron Hastie.

Speaking with excitement about Laura’s appointment, Neil Priscott, Interim CEO at Gloucestershire, said: “Laura was a stand-out candidate from an impressive field, and her work on the women and girl’s pathway, aligned with her in-depth knowledge of both the boys pathway and recreational game, made Laura our unanimous choice for the role.

“The ability for counties to produce professional cricketers is perhaps more important now than ever before, and the Club’s objective will be to ensure we’re producing a conveyor-belt of male and female talented cricketers in the years to come. We also need to ensure that we go looking for these players right across the county, from the inner cities to the outer reaches of our borders, and I know Laura will be brilliant at building a structure to succeed in this task.

“The appointment of someone who has been developed at the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation speaks volumes for our burgeoning organisational relationship, and we can’t wait for Laura to get started.”

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