The Blaze will compete in Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One Day Cup women’s competitions next season, after tournament details for the new structure of the women’s game were confirmed by the ECB.
For the first time, men’s and women’s domestic T20 and 50-over competitions will be fully aligned, as Vitality and Metro Bank further their ongoing support for women’s cricket.
As the women’s game transitions into a new era, Nottinghamshire won the right to host a Tier One team following a competitive tender process early in 2024.
“We’ve felt welcomed by all at Trent Bridge from the moment we arrived at the end of 2022, and the identity and culture we’ve built has been something we’ve all got behind. It’s played a huge part in our progress as a team – most notably in winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup for the first time this season,” said The Blaze Director of Cricket James Cutt.
“We’re delighted to be able to build on our successes now, with the certainty of being embedded into the club over the longer term.
“A complete squad of 16 players, as well as England centrally-contracted players, are committing their futures to us as we embark on this new journey, so we’re undoubtedly excited for what the future holds.
“Collaboration across the East Midlands has been really important to us as well – the support of neighbouring First-Class Counties has been invaluable, and The Blaze Academy will continue to have a significant presence, as we look to ensure that aspiring cricketers across the region have a clear pathway to follow.”
The new professional structure will see £8m of new funding per year being invested into women’s domestic cricket by 2027 – taking annual investment in this area to circa £19m.
As with the Vitality Blast Men’s Finals Day, the women’s competition will culminate in a Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day, while the men’s and women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup competitions will each have two semi-finals and a flagship final. Teams in the Metro Bank One Day Cup women's competition will compete to lift the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Competition schedules and venues will be announced later this year, with the expectation that men’s and women’s double headers are likely to form some part of the Vitality Blast schedule.
A knock-out cup competition consisting of teams from all three tiers of the expanded women’s domestic structure will also form part of the 2025 schedule.
After claiming the Charlotte Edwards Cup in a seven-wicket win over South East Stars at Derby, The Blaze remain in the hunt for semi-final qualification in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with one group-stage game remaining.
Having welcomed a record-breaking crowd for a women’s Test of 23,207 as England took on Australia in 2023, Trent Bridge attracted a record attendance for women’s regional cricket of 4,710 as The Blaze entertained Thunder alongside the Notts Street Food Festival in May.
An attendance of 10,693 for Trent Rockets women’s clash against Welsh Fire this summer was a new record for women’s domestic cricket the venue.