ECB Chief Against City Franchise Idea
England and Wales Cricket Board chief Giles Clarke has announced his opposition to any plans to merge the 18 first-class counties into ‘city franchises’ mirroring the lucrative new Indian Premier League.
Clarke’s denouncement comes following lengthy discussions undertaken by the ECB regarding the introduction of a new Twenty20 competition in reaction to the emergence of the IPL.
The governing body has been in talks with Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford regarding funding for the proposed tournament but, while the plans look likely to go ahead, the city franchise format seems to have been discarded.
The move comes despite the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s belief that the format could compete with India’s Twenty20 leagues.
But Clarke said: ‘Franchise sport has simply never worked in the UK. Tradition and history rather than Bollywood stars and glitz are what persuade supporters to return week in, week out, to our grounds.’
Speaking at the ECB’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, Clarke said his vision of an English Premier League would be based on the traditional model rather than new teams.
He said: ‘Some of the ideas spouted in the media have been frankly ludicrous. Can you, I was asked by a leading television executive, imagine cricket lovers rushing down St John’s Wood Road to see a franchise called Vodafone Team London owned by an ageing rock star?
‘There has never yet been a successful Team London in any sport and nor is there likely to be any support for a Team Manchester or Team Leeds from traditional areas of rivalry such as Liverpool or Sheffield.
‘When ECB launched their own Twenty20 Cup it was on the back of extensive spectator research and financial analysis.
‘This is an exercise we will repeat before launching any new competition because we have said this tournament must be robust, spectator-friendly and economically sustainable.’
Some of the individual counties’ chief executives and chairmen favour a smaller number of teams, while others agree with Clarke.
