Gurjeet Malhi, a GP based in Wolverhampton, has thrown her support behind the new Sport for Change Wolverhampton initiative, revealing how taking up cricket as a player and coach transformed her life and deepened her conviction about the health and social benefits of sport.
Malhi, who attended a Wolverhampton comprehensive school, said she admired cricket from afar as a child, watching matches on television during lunch breaks but feeling the sport was beyond her reach. "I used to come home at lunchtime, watch cricket on the TV and think, ‘Wow, that's amazing,’" she recalled. "It was not an affordable sport for someone like me."
From Spectator to Captain
Years later, after bringing her own children to Wolverhampton Cricket Club in Tettenhall and watching from the sidelines, a coach invited the women present to try softball cricket. Malhi seized the opportunity immediately. "I bit their hand off," she said. "By default I ended up being the captain as well!" Now in her fourth season as captain, she says the decision has had a profound impact on her life.
"It gave me a sense of purpose at a time when I was probably hitting perimenopause. It gave me an identity, it got me moving, and it gave me that team camaraderie and community feel - a place to come, have a laugh and feel lighter going home," she explained.
Supporting Sport for Change Wolverhampton
Malhi is now backing the Sport for Change Wolverhampton campaign, coordinated by ConnectSport CIC and supported by the University of Wolverhampton and Wolves Foundation. The initiative sees local students promoting the health and social benefits of community sport projects across the city. More than 50 projects are expected to join the campaign by the end of 2026.
"What this has shown me is that being embedded in the community on a daily basis, rather than your consulting room, the therapy on the pitch is just amazing," she said.
Broader Health Benefits
As a GP, Malhi regularly sees patients with mental health issues, perimenopause symptoms, anxiety, low mood and long-term conditions such as diabetes. She believes sports clubs can help tackle these issues by combining exercise with social interaction and routine. "You’ve got your movement element and you’ve got your community as well," she said. "You have that opportunity to talk, and I think sometimes communities can be lacking in this fast-paced world."
She argues that sport should be promoted not only as a competitive activity but also as a tool for improving mental and physical wellbeing. "The effects of sport have been shown to be positive on mental wellbeing," she said. "Quite often in my consultations I discuss exercise, even just going out in the sunshine for a walk as a starting point." Joining a team sport can provide extra commitment and motivation: "If people enjoy it, they’re more likely to keep doing it."
Encouraging Inclusivity
Malhi believes more should be done to ensure children and adults from all backgrounds have opportunities to try sports that may otherwise seem inaccessible. "There’s a lot of skill out there that just gets overlooked," she said. "I’d like to encourage people to get involved, especially those who don’t have the means to do it."
Through her experiences as a GP, captain and coach, Malhi has seen first-hand how sport can build confidence, improve health and strengthen communities. For her, cricket has become far more than a game - it is a source of purpose, connection and wellbeing.
