Inspirational cricket coach awarded unique diversity and inclusion sport scholarship

A pioneering female cricket coach has been awarded a ground-breaking scholarship designed to help nurture strong diverse talent in top UK sports jobs. 

Nilma Dole-Williams, who is currently building a new cricket legacy in Cambodia, is the latest recipient of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Diversity and Inclusion in Sports Leadership Scholarship. 

The scholarship provides reduced fees for women working in sport who have applied for a place on the University’s renowned Master of Sport Directorship (MSD). 

On receiving the scholarship, Dole-Williams said: “I am grateful to the fantastic MSD team for the scholarship because it has been a dream come true.  

“The MSD is an award-winning course that has a wonderful teaching team and notable alumni so it’s a great chance to learn, grow and network.” 

The MSD prepares its graduates for sporting director and other sports leadership roles. The two-year part-time programme has attracted high-profile names, including Afghan footballer Khalida Popal and former Manchester City Women FC and England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley.  

The Diversity and Inclusion in Sports Leadership Scholarship is designed to help broaden the diversity of leadership within sports management by providing financial support to groups who are not often found in senior leadership positions in the sporting world – and for people who work to support underrepresented groups. 

Dole-Williams said: “I was inspired to do the MSD course because I wanted to find a way to get a paid job in cricket in the UK despite all the obstacles put my way. I am passionate about female diversity in cricket. There are hardly any female cricketers of colour playing for England, and this inspired me to make a positive impact.   

“I want to be one of the first female sporting directors of colour in cricket in the UK. Not only that, but I will support women in countries like Afghanistan, where they are banned from playing cricket due to gender apartheid.  Cricket should unite, not divide, and the MSD will help me do this.” 

Building a legacy

Dole-Williams is a Level 2 ECB Core Coach and former Peru Women’s National cricket team player, having participated at the WSACs (Women’s South American Cricket championships) in Chile (2015) and Brazil (2016).  

She has played for the Brighton and Hove Cricket Club’s Women’s teams and is now currently setting up after-school cricket clubs in Cambodia to recruit and inspire young cricketers to represent their country, after the ICC granted Cambodia Associate Membership in 2022. 

Dole-Williams said: “Coming from a traditional and multi-religious background, I was never encouraged to take up sport because I am a woman, and I was told that marriage was more important. 

“I was rejected several times on cricket boards and never got paid to do a job in cricket but that didn’t discourage me. I’m now building a new cricket legacy in Cambodia, opening the country’s first cricket academy later this year to inspire young Cambodians to take up cricket. My goal is to use cricket as an empowerment sport to heal generational trauma caused by the Khmer Rouge genocide.  

“With all of my experience, I know that the MSD will be the perfect qualification to open doors for me because I want to shatter glass ceilings and also pave the way for other female leaders of colour in sport.” 

The MSD prepares students for sports leadership roles through expertise at the University’s Institute of Sport and Triple Accredited Business School. 

Mark Batey, MSD Programme Director at Manchester Metropolitan, said: “The MSD is the most diverse sporting leadership programme in the world, and we are delighted to award our Diversity and Inclusion in Sports Leadership Scholarship to such an inspiring and talented person who is breaking down barriers in her sport. 

“We know that for women in sport, pay and opportunities have historically been lower and the budgets for development can be more restricted too. Through the MSD we are committed to addressing this and the scholarships will continue to play a vital role.” 

The Diversity and Inclusion in Sports Leadership Scholarships consist of a £5,000 reduction in course fees and are open to individuals with any protected characteristic – and those who support people from diverse backgrounds – who meet the MSD criteria. 

Find out more information on the Masters of Sport Directorship course at Manchester Metropolitan.