2025 MCC Young Female Broadcaster winner and runners up announced and invited for special celebration day at Lord’s

Helen Trappelides, aged 20, is a second year English Literature student at the University of Warwick, where she discovered her passion for sports media. Helen’s broadcasting careers has now taken a massive leap forward, being selected as 2025 MCC Young Female Broadcaster of the Year. Runners-up Lara Davies, Sharon Akrofi, Syeda Rizvi, Polly Starkie and Catherine Johnson attended at Lord’s and were all highly praised by the judges.

First launched last year, the competition, supported by Sky Sports and leading cricket charity Take Her Lead, aims to increase opportunities for young women aspiring to build a career in sports broadcasting, while uncovering and supporting the next generation of female broadcasting talent in cricket.

Helen said: "I'm incredibly grateful and honoured to be named the 2025 MCC Young Female Broadcaster of the Year. My goal is to share my love for cricket and sports media in a way that informs, excites, engages and inspires audiences, bringing stories and analysis to life while building a meaningful career in the field”.

During her visit to Lord’s, Helen, alongside the runners up, enjoyed a tour of Lord’s and the iconic Barclays Media Centre, a meet and greet with cricket and broadcasting star Mel Jones, and a look behind the scenes in the Sky commentary boxes. They also got to spend time with broadcaster and competition judge Georgie Heath and 2024 winner Regina Suddahazai, before enjoying the match from the President’s Suite for the ultimate VIP experience. At a later date, the group will have a virtual broadcasting workshop with top cricket broadcaster and competition judge Alison Mitchell.

As the winner of the competition, Helen took part in live interviews on Sky Sports Cricket with Mel Jones and BBC Test Match Special with 2024 winner Regina Suddahazai and MCC Chief of Marketing and Communications Katie Maier. Helen then headed to the Presidents Suite to enjoy hospitality for the rest of the day.

Helen will return to Lord’s for her prize - the unrivalled opportunity to join the Sky Sports team for their live broadcast coverage at The Hundred Final on Sunday 31 August.

A keen cricketer herself, Helen plays for theUniversity of Warwick Women’s Cricket Club and represents the team in BUCS Women’s Midlands Tier 1 matches. Outside of cricket, Helen is a passionate football fan and regularly organises and plays 5-a-side with friends. A true lover of all sports, she enjoys the energy, camaraderie, and atmosphere that competitive sport brings.

Off the pitch, Helen is heavily involved with Warwick’s student newspaper The Boar, where she writes about sport and athletes, most recently former England cricketer Jimmy Anderson.

Helen is passionate about being involved in sport in every way she can, with the ultimate goal of hosting her own sports show. She is thrilled to be named the 2025 MCC Young Female Broadcaster of the Year - a role that will offer invaluable opportunities to deepen her knowledge, gain hands-on experience, and combine her love of sport with compelling storytelling.

Helen said:“I hope to show that your voice matters, no matter your background or experience, as long as you bring passion and drive. Winning the competition is a huge step toward turning that dream into reality".

Katie Maier, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at MCC, said: “For the second year running, we’ve seen some very strong submissions with a wide range of broadcasting skills, experience and talent. This clearly demonstrates that there’s a lot of interest to enter the industry and how important this competition is. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming the runners up and winner to Lord’s for what I am sure will be an invaluable day of experience for them”.

Take Her Lead Patron, Mel Jones said: “At Take Her Lead, we believe in the power of women’s voices to shape narratives, challenge perspectives, and inspire change. This initiative isn’t just about creating opportunities — it’s about breaking down barriers so that the next generation of female broadcasters are supported to lead with confidence and impact."

Bryan Henderson, Director of Cricket & NFL at Sky Sports, added: “We are delighted to welcome Helen to join our team at The Hundred Final. Thank you to MCC and Take her Lead for such an inspiring competition”.

Find out more about MCC women and girls cricket at https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-club/women-and-girls, and Take Her Lead at https://takeherlead.org