Yorkshire Women’s Team To Join Tier 1 In 2026

Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s (CCC) women’s team will enter Tier 1 a year ahead of schedule in 2026, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced.

Last month, the ECB confirmed the eight teams to compete in the newly formed women’s cricket division when it launches in 2025. These include Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire.

At the time, the national cricket body revealed that Yorkshire and Glamorgan would be joining the league by 2027, when it expands to ten teams.

However, the ECB has now decided to introduce the Yorkshire team at an earlier stage, allowing the club to engage in contract discussions with players from 1st June 2025. The plan remains for Glamorgan to join for the ensuing campaign.

Yorkshire’s funding will increase to £1.5m annually from 2026, when the women’s team launches.

Tier 1 will form the top-flight of women’s professional cricket in England and Wales, as part of a three-tiered system, which was first revealed in January. All 18 county cricket clubs were inited to bid for rights to women’s teams.

In January, the ECB announced it would be increasing its investment into women’s cricket  by £4m – £5m per year over the four-year period between 2025 and 2028.

The ECB aims for Tier 1 to expand to a 12-team competition by 2029, as part of its plans to further grow the women’s game. For the first four seasons, the revamped women’s cricket structure will have no promotion and relegation between the three divisions.

Beth Barrett-Wild, Director of Women’s Professional Game at the ECB, said, “Yorkshire’s desire to be part of Tier 1 as soon as possible is clear, and we believe it’s the best decision for them, the women’s game, and most importantly for the players as they enter a phase of contract negotiation, to provide as much certainty as we can about the introduction timeline for both Yorkshire and Glamorgan.

 “As Yorkshire are existing regional hosts they are starting from a different position to Glamorgan, who we think will benefit from having two years between 2025-2027 to develop their talent pathway across Wales and experience running a women’s senior team in Tier 2. 

“This extra lead-in time will therefore enable them to establish a solid platform from which to build a competitive Tier 1 team and proposition in due course.”

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