Since 2015 there has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of women playing cricket in Australia, and the inner west has been spearheading the growth of girls' and women's cricket across Sydney.

Girls' teams are well-established at Ashfield Cricket Club, Marrickville Cricket Club, Summer Hill Cricket Club and the Randwick Petersham Cricket Club.

These clubs run programs for girls of all ages, providing players with female role models and the skills to build their confidence and abilities alongside the boys.

Inner west teams also play in a girls-only competition in New South Wales called the Thunder Girls Cricket League.

Female sports stars inspire girls to stay active in sport and help to curb the dropout rate, which sees one in two girls quit sport by the age of 15.

I pay tribute to sportswomen like Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy from the Australian Cricket Team, who continue to inspire girls to get involved in the best sport on earth.

I congratulate the many clubs across Sydney's inner west that show that sport is for everyone.

Cricket is a great sport. It is not just a girls' sport or a boys' sport; it is for everyone.