AMBASSADOR PROFILE
Belinda Clark AO
CRICKETER
Ambassador,
Athletes for Hope Australia
Don't be afraid to tell your story. Your voice is important and your story is unique.
- BELINDA CLARK -
Belinda Clark AO, is a former Australian Cricket Captain, who played international cricket for the Australian women's national team from 1991 to 2005. She is regarded as one of the greatest female cricketers ever.
She was the first ever player to score a double century in a One Day International when she scored 229* against Denmark in 1997 World Cup.
Clark captained the Australian team from 1994 to her retirement in 2005. In 1998 Clark was named Wisden Australia Cricketer of the Year.
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During her longstanding career, Clark played 118 one-day internationals, 15 Tests and 1 Twenty20 International , 89 Women's National Cricket League matches.
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Her sporting record, skills and remarkable leadership saw her inducted into the Sport Australia Cricket Hall of Fame and ICC Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2014.
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Post professional cricket, Clark continued to contribute back to the sport. She became Manager of the Australian Cricket Centre of Excellence (formerly the Cricket Academy) charged with the responsibility of helping the next generation of male and female talent develop.
Prior to this she was also Chief Executive of Women's Cricket Australia before spending many years in key positions at Cricket Australia, including as the Executive General Manager of Community Cricket. In 2019, the Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence Awards recognised Belinda as the winner of the Arts, Culture and Sport category.
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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
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Australian Cricket Captain 1994 - 2005.
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World Cup wins in 1997 and 2005.
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Scored Test Centuries against England in 1991 and India in 1998.
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118 one-day internationals and 15 tests.
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First cricketer to score a double century in one day international (229).
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Awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2000 for service to cricket, particularly through the Australian Women's Cricket Team, and to the promotion and development of the game for women and girls and then an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2018.
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Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, ICC Hall of Fame and Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
The leadership playground
Now Clark has continued her leadership off the field and made it her purpose to empower girls and young women to find their passion to lead. She started 'The Leadership Playground' as a platform to mentor female athletes to build life and leadership skills.
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Inspired to make a difference, Clark says, "I grew up dreaming of playing tennis because they were the only female athletes regularly on the TV. The power of role models is obvious and critical to the next gen."
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"Our mission is to inspire and empower girls to thrive and find the courage to step into leadership and take the world by storm."
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