Sport England funding for ECB reduced

8th December 2011

The Board of Sport England has reduced the funding available to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) by £312,188.

The reduction was made in full agreement with the ECB, in the light of current cricket adult participation figures, and recognition by the ECB that it will not achieve the participation growth commissioned through Sport England's 2009 - 2013 investment.

The ECB has continued to meet and exceed all of the other agreed targets in the areas of sustaining the game, creating pathways to excel in the women's and disability formats and in delivering good corporate governance.

Following discussions with Sport England, the governing body has agreed to accept a reduction in investment alongside a renegotiated participation goal for the growth element of the Whole Sport Plan.

Sport England's Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said: "Today's announcement continues the consistent approach we have taken with all governing bodies that failure to achieve the agreed growth will lead to funding levels being reviewed."

"The challenge for the ECB is to increase participation across all forms of cricket, both formal and informal."

"We support the even greater priority now being given to the adult grassroots game by the ECB and the steps taken by its development team in recent months have given us confidence in the governing body's ability to get more people playing the game regularly over the next 12 months."

The ECB had already taken significant steps to secure growth in adult participation within their 'Focus Clubs', and to boost the numbers playing the game at a junior level through the Chance to Shine programme.

ECB Chief Executive, David Collier said: "The ECB is pleased that our adult participation numbers within our Focus Clubs have continued to grow 3% and overall by 5% across all age groups. We have also seen year on year higher levels of growth across women's, junior and disability cricket and across coaching, officials and volunteers in the wider club network. The outstanding Chance to Shine programme has also introduced more than 1.4m children to the game of cricket. We feel that the outcome with Sport England is fair given current adult participation levels, the current state of the economy and the fact that cricket has invested more than £50 million in community facilities during the last few months.  The ECB appreciates that Sport England does not have accountability for the expansion which is occurring at the junior level but the ECB believes that the 11-25 year age group is critical to the sustainability and health of sports in the medium term. "