Watch Ireland vs England in the Certa Invitational Cricket Series on Virgin Media Television, 14 and 15 September 2024
Virgin Media Television will air live coverage of the Ireland women’s cricket team for the first time in September, with two T20 internationals live from Clontarf.
Ed Joyce’s side face England at the North Dublin venue as part of the Certa Invitational Cricket Series, with live coverage across Saturday 14th September and Sunday 15th September.
The visit of the world number two-ranked T20 side to Ireland will be live on Virgin Media Two both days.
Mick McCaffrey, Director of News and Sport at Virgin Media Television said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Cricket Ireland and Certa to broadcast live coverage of Ireland’s two upcoming T20 internationals from Clontarf.
“This will be the first time that women’s cricket will air on Irish terrestrial television and the timing couldn’t be better after the recent win against Sri Lanka. Seasoned cricket viewers as well as those new to the sport are certain to be hugely entertained across the weekend.”
Warren Deutrom, CEO of Cricket Ireland, said:
“It’s great news that women’s cricket will feature live on terrestrial television in the Republic of Ireland for the first time ever and we would like to thank Virgin Media for their trust and partnership. The last month or so has been fantastic for women’s cricket, with our historic success against Sri Lanka giving us a great boost as we approach the series against England.
“We have invested heavily in women’s and girls’ cricket in recent years, a programme which has been generously supported by our primary sponsor for Ireland Women, Certa. In Certa, we have found a partner that shares our determination to increase the visibility of cricket across Ireland and inspire more people to support this fantastic team and develop a love for the game.
“As one of the few Irish sports offering full-time professional contracts to women, we’re committed to driving growth and providing more opportunities for female athletes to excel in years to come – an endeavour which is additionally supported by a range of great partners such as Corpay, Butlers and DMG Media.
“All of this work is producing tangible outcomes. The awareness and subsequent growth in participation across our women and girls’ programmes has led to women and girls now accounting for 22% of our player base across Ireland, up from 9% in 2013.
“Thanks again to the teams at Virgin Media and Certa, and we look forward to a competitive series next month.”
Trevor Koen, Head of Marketing and Digital at Certa, said:
“Certa is delighted to sponsor the Certa Invitational Cricket Series on Virgin Media Television as part of its ongoing commitment to growing and developing women’s cricket as a major sport in Ireland.
“As the title sponsor of the Ireland’s Women’s cricket team, Certa has empowered the team to continue pushing new boundaries and to perform against the top nations, including a fantastic first ever win over the Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka earlier this month. We are thrilled that our shared commitment to breaking boundaries now extends to this historic series against England and that this will be first time that international cricket has been broadcast free to air in Ireland.
“This is great step forward for women’s cricket in Ireland and we look forward to working with Cricket Ireland and Virgin Media Television to bring the eye-catching performances of the Ireland Women’s team to the widest possible audience, and to inspire hundreds more young players to follow their dream of playing professional cricket in Ireland”.