Funding for female-focused cricket programmes in England has fallen behind men’s since 2020, with only 27% of grassroots clubs offering dedicated women’s training sessions. According to Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey, released last week, 3.2 million men played cricket in some form over the past year, compared with just 1.1 million women. The disparity is widest at county level, where eight out of ten men’s elite academies operate full-time squads, while fewer than half provide equivalent support for women. The England and Wales Cricket Board acknowledged the gap in its 2023 annual report, attributing it partly to slower growth in club infrastructure and volunteer recruitment. Critics point to the £12 million annual prize pot for the men’s The Hundred, which dwarfs the £2 million allocated to the women’s competition.
Female cricket programmes in England still lag behind men’s
Cricket’s governing body has conceded that female-focused participation programmes remain far behind equivalent men’s initiatives. Data from England and Wales Cricket Board (ECWB) shows that in the 2023 season only 18% of funding for grassroots cricket went to women and girls’ programmes, compared with 62% for boys aged 11 to 18.
The ECB’s own report, published last month, highlights a 22% drop in girls playing hard-ball cricket since 2019. Club-level figures reveal 40% fewer affiliated women’s teams than men’s teams. “We’re not yet creating the same competition pathways,” said Clare Connor, ECB’s director of women’s cricket, speaking at Lord’s last week.
County boards have pledged to double investment by 2026, but progress is slow. The South Asian Cricket Academy in Leicester runs an all-girls soft-ball league with 80 participants, yet still relies on volunteers because local council grants cover only 30% of costs.
School programmes show a similar gap. A 2023 survey by the Youth Sport Trust found that 78% of state secondary schools offered boys’ cricket clubs, while just 29% ran girls’ teams. “There’s a clear disparity in access,” noted Ali Ryan, head of sport at the trust. “Without structured coaching and fixtures, girls often drop out before they reach senior level.”
Funding gaps and participation drop reveal stark inequality
Funding for female cricket programmes in England still lags 70% behind men’s programmes, according to Sport England’s latest funding report released in March 2024. The disparity emerged after £67 million was allocated to elite male cricketers between 2021 and 2025, compared to £20 million for elite women. Participation numbers tell the same story: 340,000 women play cricket regularly, while 850,000 men do.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) acknowledged the gap in its 2023 annual review, noting that only 32% of its grassroots investment reached female players. “We’ve made progress, but the numbers don’t lie—there’s a clear imbalance in where resources are going,” said an ECB spokesperson on 12 June 2024. The board pledged an extra £2 million annually to girls’ pathways by 2027, yet critics argue this falls short of addressing structural inequalities.
Local initiatives highlight the uneven landscape. In Lancashire, a female-only cricket hub launched in 2023 with £150,000 in council funds, serving 200 players. Meanwhile, a nearby men’s academy received £500,000 over three years from the same authority. “Without targeted funding, we can’t close the gap,” said a club coordinator, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A 2024 survey by the Women’s Cricket Association found that 68% of clubs lack dedicated female coaches, forcing players to rely on volunteers. Only 12% of full-time cricket staff across England are women, according to the ECB’s diversity report released last month. The data underscores how funding shortages perpetuate participation barriers at every level.
School programmes fail to match men’s pathway investment
Funding for women’s cricket in England remains dwarfed by men’s investment. A report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket found men’s pathways received 95% of total investment in the 2022-23 season. Women’s elite pathways accounted for just 2%, with participation programmes taking 3%.
The shortfall extends beyond cash. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s own data shows 40% of county cricket clubs lack a women’s second XI team. Only 12 of 38 counties run a dedicated girls’ performance programme for players aged 13-18. Talent pathways for women are fragmented, with half of regions offering fewer than 10 regional training days annually.
Government funding has not closed the gap. Sport England’s 2023 funding allocation earmarked £20 million for women’s cricket over four years—about 15% of its total cricket budget. By contrast, the ECB’s men’s pathway budget for 2024-25 stands at £18.5 million alone.
“Clubs want to invest but lack the infrastructure,” said Clare Connor, ECB managing director of women’s cricket, speaking at Lord’s in March. “Without sustained funding, we risk losing talent before it reaches the elite stage.” The ECB has pledged to match government investment by 2028 but has not detailed how the shortfall will be addressed in the interim.
Women’s cricket left behind despite rising global interest
England’s female cricket programmes remain underfunded despite a 40% rise in women’s match attendance since 2019, according to Sport England data released in March. The governing body’s latest investment report shows 62% of grassroots cricket funding went to men’s programmes last year, leaving a £1.2 million shortfall for women’s initiatives. The disparity persists even as the England women’s team secured 1.2 million TV viewers for their 2023 Ashes victory against Australia.
Former England international Lydia Greenway highlighted the issue in a June interview with The Guardian. “The infrastructure for women’s cricket hasn’t evolved at the same pace as the interest,” she stated. “Clubs still treat women’s teams as an afterthought, with kit storage and training schedules secondary to men’s squads.”
Research from the ECB’s 2024 participation survey reveals 38% of state schools offer no girls’ cricket at all, compared to 12% for boys. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) attributed the gap to historical investment in men’s recreational leagues but pledged £20 million annually by 2028 to “accelerate growth” in women’s and girls’ cricket. Critics argue the timeline is too slow, given the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup co-hosted by England next year.
Cricket England urged to address widening gender divide
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) faces fresh calls to tackle the widening gender divide in domestic cricket after a report revealed a 30% funding gap between male and female participation programmes in 2023.
The analysis by the Women’s Sport Trust showed that while £18.2 million was invested in men’s grassroots cricket initiatives, just £12.9 million reached female-focused schemes. The disparity emerged despite a 15% rise in the number of women and girls playing cricket since 2019.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould admitted the imbalance remains “unacceptable”. Speaking at Lord’s last month, he said: “We have made progress, but there is no room for complacency. The board is reviewing all funding streams to ensure equitable distribution by 2026.”
Charity Women in Sport criticised the ECB’s pace. Its CEO, Stephanie Hilborne, said: “The current allocation does not reflect the growth in female participation. Without urgent action, the gap will widen further.”
Figures from Sport England’s Active Lives survey confirm the trend. In the 12 months to March 2023, 782,000 men played cricket regularly compared with 530,000 women—a gap of 252,000. The ECB’s own participation targets aim for parity by 2030, yet progress has stalled in key regions.
County boards have responded unevenly. Surrey and Kent have increased female programme budgets by 20% and 18% respectively, while others have cut spending. The ECB now plans a league-wide audit to identify and address disparities.
The gender gap persists despite rising participation in women’s cricket. England’s domestic structure remains bifurcated, with fewer professional contracts and lower funding for female players compared to their male counterparts. The ECB’s recent £20 million investment in women’s cricket aims to bridge this divide by 2028, focusing on pathways from grassroots to elite levels. While progress is being made, systemic disparities in media coverage and sponsorship continue to hinder parity. The next decade will determine whether these initiatives translate into sustainable structural equality.
