On the eve of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) 23/24 season, reigning champions Adelaide Strikers WBBL and Flinders University have forged a new partnership to create career opportunities for women in sport.
It's the first time the Adelaide Strikers WBBL team has secured a standalone Principal Partner. In addition to being Principal Partner for women's cricket, Flinders has also become the Official Education Partner of South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) and the Adelaide Strikers.
The exclusive arrangement underscores Flinders University's commitment to women in sport, supporting the professional players through its sports science research.
Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling said this importantly will drive education pathways and career opportunities for students aspiring to leadership in sport, connecting students with inspirational and elite women cricketers.
"Through our exceptional sports education and research, Flinders will be supporting Strikers' players and coaches on their path to success, while also giving the sports stars of the future the unique opportunity for an insider experience at the highest elite level of cricket," Professor Stirling said.
"In addition to applying our sports science expertise to support both the Women's and Men's BBL, we'll be collaborating with SACA to develop and deliver a bespoke curriculum to create a pipeline of talent, making this a win-win for the sports heroes of today and the stars of tomorrow.
"This partnership is another demonstration of Flinders' commitment to innovative education that sees us consistently ranked the #1 university in South Australia for student experience."
The partnership will be centred on the co-design and co-delivery of curriculum programs, student placements with the Strikers and elite athlete research opportunities with SACA.
SACA Chief Executive Officer Charlie Hodgson said the transformative partnership with Flinders University is the beginning of a long-term, productive, and positive relationship that will create huge benefits for cricket in South Australia and beyond.
"To partner with such a prestigious South Australian organisation that shares our values and is committed to a wide range of exciting initiatives in the education and research space is incredible for cricket," Mr Hodgson said.
"SACA's partnership with Flinders University will transform our player pathways and bring new fans and administrators into our great game, creating flow on impacts to our players, staff, members and fans in countless ways."
Studying the final year of the Bachelor of Sport Management at Flinders, Andrea van Metzinger said her goal is to work with professional athletes at the top of their sports, and the Strikers WBBL women's players are an inspiration for many women embarking on their own careers in sport.
"This is a golden opportunity for students because they'll get to work with the best in the game while also getting to jump ahead into their careers at the same time," Andrea said.
As a sign of the strengthening links between the new Flinders City Campus and Adelaide Oval precincts, Flinders' logo will be proudly displayed match screens, and on the front of the Adelaide Strikers women's playing shirts for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, starting at the first WBBL home match against Melbourne Stars Women on Saturday, 21 October.
To promote the launch of the partnership, Flinders University staff and students will be able to show their support for the WBBL team with a special ticketing offer for the Strikers WBBL game at Adelaide Oval on 24 November.
