The Women’s T20 World Cup created “unprecedented visibility” for women’s football, according to the tournament director.

Beth Barrett-Wild, outgoing director of professional women’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, said the event, hosted by England and won by Australia, had broken records for stadium attendance and broadcast audiences.

He spoke as he was awarded an honorary degree., external by the University of Essex for her efforts to grow women’s football.

“We need to make sure that after this, we continue to keep our footing,” Barrett-Wild said.

A total of 245,815 fans attended the tournament, with an average attendance of 9,833 for its 25 games.

Essex’s Barrett-Wild said: “The overall vision for the Women’s T20 World Cup was to bring women’s cricket into the mainstream and restore the normal way people perceive women’s cricket.

“I think we have done very well.

“We have created unprecedented visibility for women’s cricket, but we have also shown its quality. That is a testament to the domestic structure of women.”

Barrett-Wild said England’s previous hosting of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup was “the spark that lit the fire of what we’ve been able to deliver this summer”.

However, he added that there is still much to do to continue the growth of the sport.

“We know that 40% of sports fans in the UK see cricket as a sport for men and boys. That has to be zero,” he said.

“But I’m confident, just after the World Cup, anecdotally, that the number of girls picking up bats and balls has increased. “Even at my local club, Kelvedon and Feering Cricket Club, you can see it.

“I’m glad I played my part in that.”