Cricket Scotland has today published the McKinney Report.
This is an independent neutral assessment, commissioned by the governing body, which considers the culture of Cricket Scotland in relation to its treatment of females, and of the wider treatment of Women and Girls’ cricket in Scotland.
A neutral assessment is an informal fact-finding process, used to explore areas of concern or to explore current cultures. It is not an investigation. It is an anonymous process so that interviewees feel comfortable sharing their feelings or concerns.
The full report can be viewed here.
The report is split into analysing behaviours, cultures, and practices in Cricket Scotland pre-2022, before the publishing of the Changing the Boundaries report, and post-2022. It covers six key themes including culture and inclusion, leadership, general behaviours employment practices and wellbeing, psychological safety and sexism and misogyny.
Within these six themes, the two priorities identified by interviewees for further change and improvement are general behaviours, and sexism and misogyny.
Nine recommendations have been developed for Cricket Scotland to implement in support of improving the culture within the governing body and the wider sport, leading to behavioural change:
- A long-term strategy for the Women and Girls’ game that is widely communicated.
- Modernisation and makeup of cricket club committees.
- Increased investment in the women’s game, including parity on contracts and equal treatment.
- Rebuilding trust between staff, players, and the Board, with a focus on communication and engagement.
- Education to address inherent sexism.
- Establishing a process to call out sexism and discrimination in cricket.
- Developing a wellbeing policy and support mechanism for all staff and players.
- A clear and transparent process to raise formal concerns or complaints.
- Continue the ongoing engagement and consultation process with staff and the wider cricketing community.
Cricket Scotland would like to thank everyone who participated in the interviews, drafting and preparation of this report. It will enable us to ensure an inclusive, respectful, and thriving future for the game of cricket in Scotland.
Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer said: “This report is a damning indictment of the treatment of female players and staff within our organisation. It is evident that Cricket Scotland allowed behaviours to take place that were disrespectful, demeaning and deeply concerning, and that these were allowed to continue for a significant period.
“This is completely unacceptable, and I wholeheartedly apologise to every single person who was affected and let down by the governing body.
“This report also highlights the huge amount of work that we need to do throughout cricket in Scotland to improve the standing of women and girls within our sport.
“We are committed to making the governing body and our sport welcoming and safe for all women and girls, and together with our regional associations and clubs we will work collectively to ensure there is no place for misogyny, sexism, or discrimination of any kind within our sport. Our new strategy, which is to be released shortly, will put the health and growth of women and girls’ cricket at its forefront.
“Several of the recommendations from the McKinney Report are already underway, but there is still a significant amount of work to be done by Cricket Scotland, our regions, and our clubs to affect the change that is needed.
“Cricket Scotland now has a robust disciplinary and complaints process in place, and I would strongly urge anyone who has been affected by the findings of the report and who feels they need to raise a complaint to use this process. These recently established processes demonstrate that Cricket Scotland is capable of handling matters in a transparent and considered manner.”
Name of Author: Cricket Scotland
Cricket Scotland, formerly the Scottish Cricket Union, is the governing body for cricket in Scotland, based at the National Cricket Academy in Edinburgh. Established in 1908 and restructured in 2001, it became an ICC Associate Member in 1994. The organization includes three sub-associations: the East of Scotland Cricket Association, Western District Cricket Union, and Aberdeenshire Cricket Association.
