Sharon Cooper’s cricket journey started like most Australians’; she played backyard cricket with her younger brother.
“We had a park next door,” she recalls.
“We would go there and play all the time.
Sharon remembers she was all of 12 when she went to the SCG with her father and brother to watch the New Year’s Test between West Indies and Australia in 1976. Australia won the Test by 7 wickets, and she remembers Gary Gilmour hitting a cracker of a six close to where she sat on the seats in front of the hill.
Sharon has incredible recollection of everything that’s happened around cricket, especially in her club, and even beyond, in the last 50 years. Bankstown Sports Women’s Cricket Club has named her the club historian, and she has kept valuable records of many, many years of women’s cricket, which she has shared with a group of veteran female cricketers who are compiling a database of the history of women’s cricket in NSW.
Earlier this year, Sharon was named as one of the recipients of the Cricket NSW Community Distinguished Service Award, being one of the 43 volunteers with over 25 years of service, nominated by her peers for the award. She is one of five women who received the award in its year of inception.
Sharon’s impact on cricket has been phenomenal. Through her 45 years of involvement with the Bankstown Sports Cricket Club, and various other cricket organisations, she is one of the key people that have changed the face of women’s cricket in the Bankstown area.
She began her cricket journey in 1979 when she formed a women's cricket team at Bankstown Sports Cricket Club, playing cricket for the club for over 20 years. She says she is widely credited with forming the first women’s cricket team for Bankstown Sports but is quick to correct facts.
“Bankstown Sports had already had a female cricket team in the early 70s but finished in 1978. My friend and I formed a new team in 1979,” she clarifies.
The fact remains that if she hadn’t restarted women’s cricket in Bankstown, it would’ve probably lost its progress in women’s cricket by a few years.
At 16, Sharon found herself doing everything for women’s cricket to stay alive in the club, from laying the cones to umpiring and scoring to attending club and association meetings. Bankstown Sports eventually expanded to four teams in the Sydney Women's Cricket Association (SWCA).
Sharon's leadership led to the establishment of a first-grade side, enabling many players to pursue their cricket careers and represent New South Wales and Australia. Seven players from Bankstown Sports Women’s CC have represented Australia through the years: Therese McGregor, Michelle Goszko, Olivia Magno, Sharon Millanta, Ashleigh Gardner, Sarah Aley and Erin Burns. Sharon played with Therese McGregor in the same team when the latter started playing in 3rd Grade as a 13-year-old.
Dedicated to her club, Sharon has held numerous administrative roles, including Secretary and Chairperson of the Bankstown Sports Women's Cricket Club, Delegate to the NSW Women's Cricket Association, and Delegate to the Sydney Women's Cricket Association. She also served as a delegate to the Bankstown Sports Club Sports Committee, securing financial assistance and support for women's cricket.
In 1998, Sharon began volunteering with the Bankstown Sports Junior Cricket Club, when her two boys, Daniel and Bradley, started playing. She served as a coach, team manager, and treasurer. Her efforts improved the club's financial position and streamlined administrative processes. Her husband of 35 years, Dave Cooper, played cricket for Bankstown Sports for over 30 years. She met him during one of the club’s social days and have been together since. She says they’re a cricket family. And a Bankstown Sports Cricket Club family, one might also add.
Sharon played a key role in incorporating the Bankstown Women’s Cricket Club in 2017, enabling the club to access government grants. She also represented women's cricket on the Bankstown Cricket Council, fostering stronger relationships with the Bankstown Grade Cricket Club.
Currently, Sharon continues her volunteer work as the club historian and committee member, as well as the coordinator of the Bankstown Cricket NSW Social Girls' Cricket Initiative, promoting cricket to girls interested in a social format of the game.
“When you volunteer, you’re a part of a community. You’re with people who love cricket as much as you do. You make things better for everyone,” she says.
What’s her greatest takeaway from all these years of volunteering?
“I’ve given other people the chance to play and love cricket.”