ECB Approves Women’s Team Investment

The England women’s team and inner city areas are to benefit from investment approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board at their Board meeting this week.

The ECB directors agreed that a portion of the increased revenues ECB are likely to receive from future ICC events should be re-invested in urban areas and the women’s game. Under these proposals the England women’s team will receive a major pay rise and also a bonus following their Ashes success in Australia this winter. It followed on from their home success last summer under the captaincy of Charlotte Edwards.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, said: ‘The success of the England women’s team was a real bright spot during an otherwise disappointing winter. Over successive years the women’s team have produced not only excellent results but have also been outstanding role models for a generation of girls and women who have been inspired to take up the game.’

Clarke added: ‘These pay rises are significant and as a result, we are proudly creating the first group of full time women’s professional cricketers.  We hope that they will become some of the best paid sportswomen in Britain – certainly the best in British women’s team sports.’

With more than 908,000 people aged over 14 play cricket in teams in England and Wales a new pilot programme from the ECB is looking to create and rescue grounds in inner cities, starting in London.

Clarke added: ‘ECB stands to benefit from the new financial arrangements at the ICC and the Board shared my passion for reviving cricket in inner cities in the next 10 years. Where there are no facilities we will work with local authorities and the outstanding Chance to Shine project to build grounds. That is the way that we can build proper inner city cricket clubs which will attract thousands of new players to the game.’

A survey from the ECB also showed that 93% of recreational cricketers were male, with seven per cent female and that the average age for a recreational cricketer was 31-years old. Ethnic minorities comprised 30% of the overall participation base and members of the south Asian community were six times more likely to play cricket than the average recreational player.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: ‘The Board welcomed and supported a range of new investment in women’s cricket, inner city cricket and the England Men’s team  With 30% of cricketers in England and Wales being of Asian origin, this demonstrates that cricket reaches across and unites the various cultures in the UK.  The demand for this summer’s Investec Test matches, Royal London One-Day Series and NatWest International Twenty20s against Sri Lanka and India reflects this diversity.’