More people, and more girls and women in particular, are playing cricket in Australia, the 2017-18 National Cricket Census has found.

According to the numbers released by Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday, 6 September, 30% of cricket’s participant base are females, translating to six in every 10 new participants, reports icc-cricket.com.

The census put the number of Australians actively engaged in cricket either at schools or in clubs at 1,558,821, an increase of 9% from the previous year.

In the past year, the sport also became more diverse, with a 4% increase in multicultural participation and 1% rise in participation by indigenous communities. The number of accredited coaches rose by 24%.

The findings come soon after cricket bodies announced the investment of AU$35 million over the next three years to grow community cricket through improved facilities and cricketing experience for all stakeholders.

It also aligns with results of an International Cricket Council survey, which indicated rising levels of interest in women’s cricket and in cricket among women.

‘We are thrilled to see the number of Australians playing cricket continue to grow year-on-year. To have more than 1.5 million Australians participating in cricket last season is a fantastic result, highlighting the passion Australians have for cricket,’ said CA’s Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland.

‘We have more women and girls playing cricket than ever before … We are particularly pleased with 619 new junior girls’ teams creating opportunities for the next Meg Lanning or Ellyse Perry to learn the game.’

This edition of the National Cricket Census is the 15th annual auditing of Australian cricket participation.