The
England and Wales Cricket Board (
ECB) is the governing body of
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the
Test and County Cricket BoardThe Test and County Cricket Board was established in 1968 to administer Test and county cricket in England, replacing the functions of the Board of Control for Test Matches and the Advisory County Cricket Committee...
(TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council. Like many sports governing bodies in the United Kingdom it is a
company limited by guaranteeIn British and Irish company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as guarantors...
, a legal status which enables it to concentrate on maximising its funding of the sport rather than making a return for investors.
The
England and Wales Cricket Board (
ECB) is the governing body of
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the
Test and County Cricket BoardThe Test and County Cricket Board was established in 1968 to administer Test and county cricket in England, replacing the functions of the Board of Control for Test Matches and the Advisory County Cricket Committee...
(TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council. Like many sports governing bodies in the United Kingdom it is a
company limited by guaranteeIn British and Irish company law, a company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as guarantors...
, a legal status which enables it to concentrate on maximising its funding of the sport rather than making a return for investors. The ECB's offices are at
Lord's Cricket GroundLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Although the organisation is the England and Wales Cricket Board, it referred to as the ECB not the EWCB as a result of a decision taken in the run-up to the launch of ECB in January 1997 by those from within the game given the task of overseeing the transition from the previous bodies from which ECB was formed.
The ECB is governed by representatives of the 38 first-class and minor counties and the
MCCMarylebone Cricket Club was founded in 1787 as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground near St John's Wood in north London. MCC was formerly the governing body of cricket in England and across the world...
. It is headed by the Management Board (with 15 members), a First-Class Forum (for
first-class cricketFirst-class cricket refers to the class of cricket matches of three or more days scheduled duration, between two sides of eleven players and officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
) and a Recreational Forum. The ECB's chairman is
Giles ClarkeCharles Giles Clarke , is an English businessman and cricket enthusiast, who is currently chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.-Biography:Charles Giles Clarke was born in Bristol, and educated at Rugby School...
of
SomersetSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset. Its limited overs team is called the Somerset Sabres. The club has its headquarters at the County Cricket Ground, Taunton....
and its chief executive is David Collier.
An important responsibility is the direction of the
EnglandThe England cricket team is the cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end of 1996.England and Australia were the first teams...
national side. The Chairman of Selectors
Geoff MillerGeoffrey Miller is a former English cricketer who played in 34 Tests and 25 ODIs from 1976 to 1984....
, head coach and other coaches are ECB employees. The ECB also employs the English Test match captain Andrew Strauss and other centrally contracted players, as well as being responsible for the
ECB National AcademyThe National Cricket Performance Centre first came into existence in the winter of 2001-2002 and has been based at Loughborough University since 2003. In 2007 following the "Schofield Report" the National Academy was renamed The National Cricket Performance Centre. It consists of a state of the art...
, currently based at
Loughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England.It has been a university since 1966, but the institution dates back to 1909, when the then Loughborough Technical Institute began with a focus on skills and...
in Leicestershire.
The ECB is responsible for the financial direction and commercial exploitation of
EnglandThe England cricket team is the cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end of 1996.England and Australia were the first teams...
cricket. It raises revenue from the proceeds of sales for tickets at One Day International and
Test matchesTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
in England and Wales and shares in revenues when the English team play abroad. The ECB is also responsible for the generation of income from the sale of sponsorship and broadcasting rights, primarily in relation to the English team. The ECB's income in the 2007 calendar year was £93.0 million, up from £77.0 million in 2006. In 2007 the ECB distributed £31.6 million in "fee payments" to the eighteen first class counties, or £1.75 million per team. This subsidy is an essential source of income for the counties. It also pays certain costs of the domestic cricket programme directly, including the salaries of first class umpires and the cost of temporary floodlights at county matches.
In 1998 the ECB took on responsibility for the direction of women's cricket in England and Wales from the
Women's Cricket AssociationThe Women's Cricket Association was responsible for the running of women's cricket in England between 1926 and 1998. It was formed by a group of enthusiasts following a cricket holiday in Malvern...
.
In 2005 the ECB concluded a commercial arrangement with
BSkyBBritish Sky Broadcasting is a company that operates Sky Digital, a subscription television service in the UK and Ireland. It produces TV content, and owns several TV channels. It is the UK's largest pay TV provider...
which gave
Sky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
the exclusive television rights for live
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
in England and Wales for four years (the 2006 to 2009 seasons). This deal, which took live
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
for home English matches away from
terrestrial televisionTerrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which do not involve satellite transmission or via underground cables—typically through the atmosphere from a transmitting antenna....
for the first time generated substantial future revenues for English and Welsh cricket (220 million pounds over 4 years), but was criticised by many England cricket supporters and others. In 2007 Asian rights for live English cricket were sold to
ESPN Star SportsESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation . The venture operates 17 ESPN and STAR Sports branded networks throughout Asia, transmitting in 5 languages...
for a period of 5 years for 40 million pounds, which is 5 times the previous figure.
The ECB courted further controversy in 2005 when they appeared to dither over the employment contract of the bowling coach
Troy CooleyTroy James Cooley is a former first-class cricketer for the Tasmanian Tigers, and was bowling coach for the England cricket team for several years before returning to Australia in 2006....
who was seen by many as an important contributor to England's
AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Since cricket is a summer game, the venues being in...
success. Cooley left the England setup and joined
AustraliaThe Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877 ....
's staff.
Major domestic competitions
- Liverpool Victoria County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first class cricket competition in England and Wales. All but one of the teams are named after, and were originally representatives of, historic English counties, the exception being Glamorgan, which is a Welsh county.-History:The official County Championship...
- Friends Provident Trophy
- NatWest Pro40
The NatWest Pro40 League, is the one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old 'Sunday League' retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were now played on other days than Sunday.-Sunday...
- Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup is a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.-History:When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the England and Wales Cricket Board needed another one-day competition to fill its place. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost the game's popularity with the...
External links