Cumming and Otago Cricket Association general manager of performance Steve Martin spent 13 days in the United Kingdom recently.
The purpose of the trip was to build relationships and share ideas.
"We wanted to find out what they are doing and how they are doing it and compare it to what we do," Cumming said.
The pair visited South East Stars director of women’s cricket Emma Calvert and coach Johann Myburgh, who had a playing stint for Canterbury from 2007 to 2010.
Yorkshire, Durham and Nottinghamshire were also on the travel itinerary.
"We spent a lot of time talking to head coaches and directors of cricket about their pathways in the male and female game. And it is really impressive what they do.
"The women’s game [in England] has come a long way really quickly and we wanted to find out what they’ve done to get to where they are.
"One thing they have in their advantage is they have big numbers and their clubs are so well set up.
"They’ve got massive growth, especially in that community area, and that is the key. If we can get quality numbers then they fed through the system."
New Zealand women’s domestic cricket is on a steep upwards trajectory as well. The game is crossing over towards a more professional set-up.
But at the grassroots level, it is lagging behind the English game.
A women’s club cricket competition was established in Dunedin last year for the first time in about 40 years.
It is a step in the right direction, but a baby step nonetheless.
The foundations beneath the domestic game need strengthening and Cumming is hoping establishing a relationship with some county sides will help.
"We are not that far off considering we are starting out on the journey.
"The key now is to make sure we invest in the right areas, especially in that pathway area, and try to get our numbers up.
"We have to make sure we have good structures and systems in place to make the most of the players we do get playing the game."
A player exchange system is also on the cards.
Now that Otago have established some contacts, they can steer players like Bella James and Olivia Gain, who are playing club cricket in the UK during the off-season, towards other opportunities.
"Two years ago you did not really think about domestic players going overseas to play, but that is now going to be a huge opportunity."
But with more opportunities come greater responsibilities and increased expectations.
One of the challenges the Sparks have is they have players who are very familiar with the professional environment and its demands, such as Suzie Bates. But at the other end of the spectrum they have players like Chloe Deerness and Louisa Kotkamp, who are still at school.
"Not being disrespectful, but hopefully in a few years’ time we won’t be contracting schoolgirls because we will have developed depth.
"But the No 1 thing is people have to come first and you have to understand what development looks like and what success looks like knowing the people you’ve got."
