SOMERSET County Cricket Club has confirmed its intention to submit a bid to become one of the eight First Class Counties who will operate a professional women’s team from 2025.

Domestic cricket is set to transition the current eight women’s regional teams into eight women’s professional teams owned & operated by eight First Class Counties.

The goal is to ensure that cricket becomes the most vibrant, captivating and robust women’s professional team sport across England & Wales.

Somerset has long had a special affiliation with the women’s game as current CEO Gordon Hollins made clear.

He said: “The growth of women’s sport, including cricket, has been significant in recent years, and that is predicted to continue.

"It is therefore important for Somerset to be at the ‘top table’ of the women’s game in order to capitalise on this growth, and more importantly, to progress Somerset County Cricket Club’s ambition to ‘Inspire the South-West through cricket’."

Somerset Women played their first recorded match on May 19th, 1956 at Morlands Athletic Ground in Glastonbury.

And in 1997, England Women made their debut at the Cooper Associates County Ground against South Africa in an ODI which saw a young Charlotte Edwards make the first of her nine hundreds in the format.

The region has also developed incredible talents within the women’s game, with World Cup winners Anya Shrubsole, Heather Knight and Fran Wilson all learning their trade in the South West.

Hollins added that if Somerset is successful with their bid, their will be challenges but he believes this is important for the future of the club.

“Inevitably, when any club goes through the type of transformation that will take place if Somerset is successful in acquiring Tier 1 status, there will be challenges," he said.

"These include facilities, resources, and finance.  Regardless, it is our view that the club’s that prosper in the future, will be those that have men’s and women’s professional teams. 

"We will therefore be submitting the strongest bid possible to ensure that the growth of the women’s game continues across the whole of the region with Somerset as the epicentre.”

Somerset have already played a leading role in the development, success and progression of Western Storm through the current regional system, and with SCCC having a Pathway system, the potential to grow is there.