Maiden: Cricket Kit that Works for Girls
This is a transcription of our Instagram live with Cat from Maiden, hosted by our newsletter contributor Scarlett Archer. You can watch it here, if you prefer. The We are Girls in Sport x Little Big Sports store is proud to stock Maiden cricket wear. Take a look here.
Q: Can you introduce yourself?
A: I’m Cat from Maiden. I co-founded it with my sister Honor, but she is currently doing A-levels, so I’m taking the lead. We want to bring girls together and provide cricket kit for girls and women, because we know there is a lack of it in that area.
Q: How did you get started in cricket? What made you fall in love with the sport?
A: I have a twin brother, and we are very competitive. I would never let him win anything. When he started playing cricket, I thought, “This is so unfair, let me join in too.” I started playing and it was me and my sister among 40 boys. The first time I got a wicket was when they started noticing me and realised there was actually a girl there. That was in London, in Barnes, if you know where that is. Then I moved down south and started playing at my prep school. We started off playing rounders, which I think most girls did, and then I managed to get into county. I was told I was good enough to play with the boys if I was in county, so it was a similar situation: me in an all-boys team.
Q: What were your cricket kit experiences like before you created Maiden?
A: I was a good cricketer, but the kit was honestly weighing me down. The tops were see-through, and I had male coaches who never really understood any of it. I felt really self-conscious, especially playing with all those boys. My sister had a similar experience, and we sat down at the dinner table and said we were going to need to change it. It started as a small project. We went upstairs to our bedroom and started sketching out designs, not really thinking it was going to go anywhere. Then my dad said, “Wait, there’s actually a market for this,” and it grew from there.
Q: Why did that matter so much to you?
A: If you’re noticing it, you’re not going to be the only girl who feels that way. If you’re playing a sport, you shouldn’t have to stop excelling just because of something silly like being uncomfortable in your kit. If you’re thinking about what you’re wearing, you’re not going to be able to play at your best. It’s the same as any other performance setting. If you’re not comfortable and not in the right kit, you can’t do what you’re meant to do. It’s not fair for it to be okay for boys, because then they go out confident and play their best.
Q: Was it helpful having your sister do it with you?
A: Absolutely. I couldn’t do it without her. When I was in my GCSE year, I couldn’t even imagine managing it on my own. Now she’s in her A-level year, and it’s definitely picked up since we started. We’re getting more calls and things like this, but I couldn’t do it without her. That would be awful.
Q: Did playing in an all-boys environment affect your confidence?
A: Definitely. When I was younger and it was 40 boys and just a handful of girls, I was six or eight, so I didn’t really know what was going on. But once I got to secondary school, from about age 9 or 10 up to 14 or 15, I started noticing it so much more. Boys get really cocky at that age, and it was just so obvious and in your face. That’s when I started noticing it properly.
Q: Can you tell us more about the frustration that led to Maiden?
A: I missed the girls’ team and rounders, because there was cheering and more fun. In the boys’ teams, they played at a very high level, so there wasn’t really any cheering while you were bowling. It was very strict, and they only really celebrated when someone got a wicket. My main frustration was missing having fun with my friends. That was a massive part of what we wanted to bring into cricket. It wasn’t just about kit that fits girls, but also about the whole atmosphere. If you’re not enjoying the sport because of what you’re wearing, and you’re not in a welcoming team, you’re going to fall out of love with it quickly. Having both is an amazing way to keep girls in sport, especially around age 13, when puberty and periods can make things harder. Girl-to-girl support really helps.
Q: What are the ethos and aims behind Maiden?
A: Our biggest aim is to kit out clubs and schools with girls’ teams up and down the country. That would be amazing. But Maiden is also about bringing girls together. We have rising stars and heroes, and we’ve got big WhatsApp groups. If a girl has a bad day and isn’t playing her best, she can message the group and say, “This happened, what can I do? I’m feeling really stressed.” Other girls who’ve had similar experiences can chime in and help her out. We want girls to feel secure, whether they have a girls’ team or not. At the end of the match, or at the end of the day, they can text and know there are other girls out there who will support them.
“ I just want to see women playing cricket, loving it, and really enjoying it.”
Q: Why is that sense of community so important?
A: It’s huge. You want to excel in whatever sport you do, and it’s great to find something you’re good at, but also something you love. The most important thing is enjoying it. You can be brilliant at something, but if you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point? It’s lovely that there’s a community where girls can talk when they’ve had an off day and support each other.
Q: What is your favourite piece from the collection?
A: Probably the tops. They look amazing…. the cut and fit are exactly what a girl wants. You don’t want to be drowning in a baggy T-shirt. If you look fashionable, you’ll play with more confidence. Sport shouldn’t be about fashion in that sense, but making kit more suited to girls will help in any sport.
Q: How is Maiden cricket kit different from normal cricket kit?
A: On our TikTok, we’ve got transitions showing me and my brother’s old kit, which is what I used to have to wear. It was basically a T-shirt down to my knees. If you were wearing a black bra or a red bra, it was completely see-through, which is probably not what you want at 13 or 14. The sleeves were cut down to where your elbows sit, and it was uncomfortable. The trousers were awful too. They were too tight and too long, so you were constantly tripping over them. We’ve fixed those issues with Maiden kit. It’s fitted, thinner at the waist, breathable, and not see-through. We’ve added mesh under the arms for airflow, built-in shorts because period protection matters, and we made the trousers in blue as well as white. There’s also mesh behind the knees and poppers so you can adjust the length. We added a flat waistband too, so you can wear it low waisted or high waisted. It means girls can wear what feels right and feel confident in it.
Q: Why does confidence matter so much in sport?
A: Confidence makes a huge difference. If you feel confident in what you’re wearing, you’re going to play better. It’s normal. There are so many small details, but they all add up. When you’re playing cricket at a high level, you’re already under pressure, so you don’t want to be worrying about extra things that could easily be avoided.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in women’s cricket this summer?
A: I just want to see women playing cricket, loving it, and really enjoying it. I watch cricket on TV and sometimes follow matches, but I’d love to see women properly getting into the game and being competitive too. There’s a stereotype that only boys can rage quit or show that kind of emotion. I want to see that competitive energy from girls as well. Mostly, I just want to see girls having a good time. Women’s sport is such a massive thing, and I think it should be celebrated more.