Through her roles as either a coach or a player over the years, Kate Jackson has spent a lot of time on and around a cricket pitch.
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So it comes as little surprise she will fill the role as Cricket NSW manager for Mid North Coast for the upcoming summer.
Jackson is excited about taking up the challenge and taking the sport in a slightly new direction.
"I'm very passionate about cricket and am looking to give back to the game because I got so much out of it," she said.
"I believe there are plenty of opportunities out there for kids nowadays."
Jackson's resume makes for interesting reading and it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest she has been a pioneer for the women's game on the Mid North Coast.
NSW Country and Sydney first grade captain, member of the Coffs Coast Chargers team who won the Regional Big Bash last season.
That's not to mention Mid North Coast and North Coast representative both inside and outside of school.
Maitlan Brown and the Blackwell twins - Alex and Kate - grew up in the region, but moved away to further their careers at an early age.
The big change over the years has been the increasing exposure of the women's game which is what Jackson wants to build on locally.
There are plenty of opportunities out there for girls and it's starting to not be 'girls cricket' anymore, it's just cricket.
- Kate Jackson
"The exposure for women's cricket is what's helped grow the game," Jackson said.
"Some of the girls are starting to become household names in the Big Bash which is really exciting for them.
"There are plenty of opportunities out there for girls and it's starting to not be 'girls cricket' anymore, it's just cricket.
"There's now no real differentiation and I'm going to coach an under-10 girls team through Wauchope this year which is exciting."
She hopes other clubs will get on board and have their own girls-only teams who can compete with the boys.
"Retention is a big one for us so if we can keep people wanting to play the game, the game will continue to grow," she said.
Retention is a big one for us so if we can keep people wanting to play the game, the game will continue to grow.
- Kate Jackson
The summer of cricket is set to start on October 10 with the Mid North Coast Premier League while the junior competitions will follow a week later.
Registration numbers are starting to flow in.
"For a lot of people it will be nice to get out and play some sport; the winter codes have been struck down a bit so we're really excited to get the kids playing again," Jackson said.
"Typically it's a slow start for registrations and then there's a late push through the school holidays where people start to realise cricket's on.
"We're trying to get information out through the schools and they have started rolling in so hopefully we can achieve last year's numbers as a start."
Cricket lovers will have to keep two key dates free this summer as the Big Bash League and Regional Big Bash head to the region.
"On January 4 we have the Sixers and Heat at Coffs and we've got the preliminary rounds of the Regional Bash on the weekend of October 24," Jackson said.
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