WORCESTERSHIRE women’s first teamers will be awarded contracts for the first time.

Members of the squad will also act as female game ambassadors for Worcestershire Cricket Board (WCBL).

A 14-strong core squad of the current best talent in the county will receive the contracts financed by the WCBL, which will go towards covering the costs of representing the team.

The players will help develop female cricket in the county with coaching sessions and helping set up girls’ programmes.

WCBL women’s and girls’ development officer Jason Yip said: “The idea of the contracts is to show genuine intent from us at Worcestershire Cricket to support women’s representatives both on and off the field.

“They are not going to get tens of thousands of pounds, but one of the biggest hurdles for the girls is to meet the financial obligations of representing their county.

“You are talking about taking time off work or being a student and being able to afford the travel, squad fees, equipment, etc.

“It also reinforces the culture we want to establish within the female county programme – that having talent is only one aspect of what makes a champion.

“Our Royal London Cup Division Two schedule will see away games range from Leicestershire to Devon – and a few matches across the border in Wales as well.

“The 2016 NatWest Division Two T20 schedule will see this extend to include away matches in Durham and Hampshire.

“The ECB do look after us in terms of overall supporting grants, but we have to start to walk on our two feet.

“A genuine high-performance programme requires more than the current funding can provide.”

WCBL cricket development director Tom Hill said: “We are fortunate to have a good team with some excellent role models to young girls, and we want to make sure the female stars are seen more in the local community.

“They are great ambassadors for women in sport and now in their new Rapids clothing, we want to inspire the next generation of female cricketers to view the game as a viable option – a game that they can play and enjoy with their friends.”