It has just become easier for parents and caregivers with young children to attend any of the 31 ICC Women’s Cricket
World Cup 2022 matches, thanks to a partnership between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and PORSE, New Zealand’s
largest home-based childcare provider.
Every host stadium during the four-week tournament will have a PORSE pop-up childcare service available to look after
the little ones while their parents and caregivers enjoy watching eight nations from around the globe battle it out on
the cricket pitch for World Cup glory.
For PORSE and Rainbow Corner childcare centres owner Rrahul Dosshi, the sponsorship deal represents two of his passions:
cricket and encouraging more children and families into sport. PORSE is also a sponsor of the Auckland Blues rugby team
and Rrahul says it’s important to support and encourage families into sport.
“Across our PORSE and 24 Rainbow Corner childcare centres we have more than 3,000 children in our care. The benefits of
being active are well documented and we are committed at our childcare centres and in our in-home services, to encourage
our tamariki to be engaged in sport. Whether that’s kicking a ball around or picking up a little cricket bat, we see the
physical and emotional benefits in children. The running track at our Flatbush centre gets a workout every single day,”
says Rrahul.
New Zealand is host of the international tournament, the pinnacle event for women’s cricket. Thirty-one matches will be
played across 31 days in March and April 2022, the first global women’s cricket event to be played since the ICC Women’s
T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia. Eight of the world’s best cricket nations will go head-to-head in six host cities:
Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, in front of a global audience the ICC has estimated
will be more than 1.2 billion people.
Rrahul says that with pop-up childcare available at every game, more families will be able to enjoy the occasion, able
to relax knowing their young children will be well looked after and entertained. The childcare service is also a first
for the ICC.
“We have run these free pop-up childcare services at Eden Park during Auckland Blues home games, and they’ve proved
incredibly popular,” says Rrahul.
“The partnership with PORSE is key to helping achieve our goal of inspiring the next generation. Knowing there’s free
and quality supervised childcare means more families can get along to the cricket together – we can’t wait to welcome
them and showcase the world’s best women cricketers playing in our backyard,” said ICC Cricket World Cup 2022 CEO Andrea
Nelson.
The pop-up centres will provide a safe, fully supervised space, filled with toys and games. The under 5s will be looked
after by registered PORSE educators while their caregivers relax and enjoy the cricket.
In a further commitment to international cricket, Rrahul and wife Bhavini are ICC Champions, across the country, helping
spread the word about the tournament.
“We are privileged to be able to offer this initiative, one that supports our commitment to cricket, to New Zealand and
to our tamariki’s wellbeing,” says Rrahul.