Ireland award seven full-time women contracts as part of €1.5m investment

Laura Delany, Shauna Kavanagh, Sophie MacMahon, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson and Mary Waldron are part of the landmark announcement

Cricket Ireland have awarded seven women with the first full-time professional player contracts as part of a major investment in the sport.

Captain Laura Delany, Shauna Kavanagh, Sophie MacMahon, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson and Mary Waldron's year-long deals start from March 2022.

The announcement of the contracts comes as the governing body confirm a record €1.5 million (£1.26m) investment in women's cricket, which includes a new three-year deal for head coach Ed Joyce.

In all, 20 contracts have been awarded. Nine have signed up on a part-time/educational basis, which includes Gaby Lewis and 16-year-old Amy Hunter, and four have non-retainer deals.

“As a squad, we are truly excited and thankful for this opportunity – it is something that many of us never would have dreamed of when we started out playing the sport we love," said skipper Delany. 

"While thankful, though, we also acknowledge the hard work, sacrifice and commitment shown by the players to achieve the honour of representing our country at the highest levels.

^{Ireland captain Laura Delany (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)}

“And, as fortunate as the players here today are for having this opportunity, we know that we are standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before us.

“To the squad, I say simply, enjoy it. Enjoy this opportunity – be thankful, but know that you’ve earned the right to stand where you are. This is day one of what I hope is an incredible journey we will take together - it may get tough at times, it may be challenging, but it should be an experience like no other. To travel the world playing cricket for Ireland – there’s no better feeling."

Ireland women's summer 2022 schedule has also been revealed. It starts with three T20Is and a trio of ODIs against South Africa between June 3-17.

Australia and Pakistan are then the opponents in a tri-series held in Bready between July 16-24.

Alongside those 10 home fixtures, Ireland are also scheduled to tour a full-member nation later this year and are involved in the T20 World Cup qualifier ahead of the 2023 tournament in South Africa.

Full-time contracts: Laura Delany, Shauna Kavanagh, Sophie MacMahon, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Mary Waldron

Part-time/education contracts: Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell

Non-retainer contracts: Rachel Delaney, Sarah Forbes, Hannah Little, Kate McEvoy