ECB sets out action to make cricket more inclusive following ICEC Report
The ECB is today (25th September 2023) publishing details of further steps it will take to make cricket a more inclusive sport in response to the recent report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC).
Wide-ranging action aims to tackle discrimination and break down barriers for women and girls, people from lower socio-economic groups, and ethnically diverse communities. It will accelerate work already underway across the game designed to make cricket the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales – and aims to address the ICEC’s conclusions that structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination continue to exist across cricket.
Click here to read the full ECB press release.
Today’s response follows a three-month period of consultation following the report’s publication on 27th June. ECB have today announced they will be taking forward most of the ICEC’s recommendations (some have already been implemented) while others will be implemented in slightly different ways or to a different timescale. There are a small number or recommendations that will not be taken forward, and the rationale for this is given in the formal ECB response.
Richard Thompson, ECB Chair, said: “On the day the ICEC published its report, I apologised without reservation on behalf of cricket’s wider leadership to anyone who has suffered discrimination or felt excluded from our sport. As well as reiterating that apology here, I reaffirm our absolute commitment that cricket will strive to become the most inclusive sport in England and Wales.
“There is no doubt that the ICEC highlighted to great effect the impact of discrimination on individuals and the extent of the systemic challenges to be addressed. Its in-depth analysis also presented an opportunity to put in place a comprehensive plan of action that will deliver meaningful change and rebuild trust among the communities we serve.
“This response represents a set of actions that will accelerate and intensify our work to make cricket a game for everyone, actions that cricket can deliver and fund within an achievable timeframe. It builds on a huge amount of work which is already under way right across the network.
“Cricket hasn’t got it right in the past, but this is an opportunity to move forwards together. I’d urge everyone to now come together, to put their energy and effort into delivering these actions, and to playing their part in ensuring cricket becomes England and Wales’s most inclusive team sport.”
Cheshire Cricket stands against discrimination in all its forms and is committed to ensuring that cricket is a game for everyone. We share ECB’s ambition to make cricket the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales and we look forward to further consultation with ECB and other stakeholders to drive positive change throughout recreational cricket.
Click here to read ECB’s response to the ICEC Report
Click here to read the ICEC Report in full
Report Discrimination here