Leah Poulton Appointed Managing Director of England Women’s Cricket
The England and Wales Cricket Board has turned to an Australian to shape the next era of English women’s cricket, appointing Leah Poulton as managing director of England women.
Poulton, 42, a former top-order batter who represented Australia 90 times across formats, will take up the role in November, succeeding Clare Connor at the helm of the women’s high-performance structure.
This is no left-field punt. It is a move rooted in pedigree.
From the Big Bash to England’s Boardroom
Poulton arrives with a résumé built across some of the most competitive environments in the women’s game. She cut her coaching teeth as assistant coach at Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League, working inside a tournament that helped redefine standards for professionalism and visibility in women’s cricket.
Her influence then deepened at Cricket New South Wales. As pathway manager and assistant coach for the NSW Breakers, she worked on the conveyor belt that has long supplied Australia with world-class talent. That led to a stint as a high performance coach at Cricket Australia, before she returned to Cricket NSW as head of elite female cricket, a role she has held for the past six years.
Those years matter. They place her at the heart of the system that has underpinned Australia’s dominance of the women’s game.
Now, she crosses the divide.
Big Brief, Big Expectations
The ECB has handed Poulton a sweeping mandate. In its announcement, the board made clear she will be “accountable for the performances of England women, England women A, England women U19s and the overall effectiveness and reputation of the women's high-performance system”.
This is not just about the senior side. It is about everything that feeds it.
Working alongside England women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Poulton will be charged with setting what the ECB called “a clear, unified vision for England women to consistently succeed on the world stage”.
The remit stretches from the dressing room to the domestic circuit, from today’s match-winners to the teenagers in regional academies who hope to become them.
Poulton’s Vision
Poulton did not hide her enthusiasm for the challenge.
“I'm incredibly excited and honoured to be joining England and to have the opportunity to help shape our programmes and, most importantly, invest in our people,” she said.
She spoke of continuity and ambition in the same breath.
“I'm looking forward to working with Charlotte, Nat and the wider team, building on the strong foundations already in place and taking the programme forward.”
Her background in pathways shone through in her priorities.
“I know how vital strong pathways and a healthy domestic game are to sustained success, so I'm looking forward to connecting with people across the game and helping give the next generation of English players every opportunity to thrive. It's a huge privilege to be part of England women and I can't wait to get started.”
An Ashes Subplot Already Taking Shape
The timing adds an extra layer of intrigue. England will host Australia in a women’s Ashes series next summer. An Australian, steeped in the very system that has tormented England for much of the past decade, will now be trying to engineer the response from the other side.
Connor, who has been a central figure in the professionalisation and expansion of the women’s game in England, is set to leave her ECB role after the Women’s T20 World Cup. Poulton will inherit a structure transformed over the past decade, but one still chasing the benchmark set by her home nation.
The question now is simple and sharp: can the architect of Australian excellence help England finally close the gap—and perhaps, on home soil next summer, flip the script of the women’s Ashes?
