BIG CRICKET SURVEY 2018: ECB's full response to our findings

The Cricketer's Big Cricket Survey received almost 1,900 replies from the cricket community. Here, ECB chief operating officer Gordon Hollins responds to the results...

Your comprehensive survey findings will no doubt prompt a wider discussion about the game’s future and the ECB’s role in shaping it in this country.

We think that’s a healthy discussion to have and we want to engage with your readers’ views. But first and foremost, we should remember that a debate about cricket’s future is nothing new.

There were intense debates in the early noughties about the introduction of a new domestic T20 competition –  now a format which is fully established as a global sporting phenomenon; the advent of one-day cricket in the 1960s did not meet with universal acclaim either; nor did the introduction of floodlights, white balls and coloured clothing – all now part of the fabric of the modern game.

All sports evolve over time and it could be argued that our own sport has done so more than most. So, it’s only natural for ECB to want our game to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it. That’s exactly where we need to be if we are to ensure cricket remains relevant to as many people as possible for generations to come.  

While we’re naturally disappointed that some of your readers think ECB is not doing a good job in governing the game now, it’s not necessarily our primary purpose to be popular. Very few sports governing bodies are. As a modern, forward-thinking organisation, it’s part of our role to challenge the game; to ask whether we can do things differently and do them better for everyone’s long-term benefit.

That’s why we’ve changed our governance structures in recent months – introducing a new, fully independent board of directors for the first time. It’s the kind of change which doesn’t always make headlines. But it means our decision-making at the highest level now reflects a broader and more diverse range of views and backgrounds. That can only be good for the game – and those who follow it as avidly as Cricketer readers.

There is definitely a strong desire at ECB to build a broader and more diverse following for cricket and it’s at the heart of all our thinking around the new eight-team competition starting in 2020.

We firmly believe this will benefit the whole game in the long-run; creating a competition which will rival the global profile of IPL or Big Bash, offer a distinctive alternative to our existing county competitions and support our wider efforts to drive up grassroots participation.

The need for the new competition to strengthen links between the recreational and professional game is particularly important. We know that there is a strong link between watching and playing cricket and that we need new cricket followers to become the next generation of club and village cricketers.

So, making cricket more accessible and easier to follow will go hand in hand with participation initiatives like our successful All Stars programme for five to eight year-olds which has already attracted nearly 60,000 participants in under two years as well as our Women’s Soft-ball Festivals which have attracted more than 20,000 participants over the same period.

We’re hugely encouraged that a clear majority of respondents are fairly or very satisfied with the way their first-class county is run and heartened that our oldest domestic competition, the County Championship remains so popular with so many people. Four-day and five-day cricket are just as important a part of our long-term plans for the game’s growth as shorter formats.

Neither will we overlook the needs of our traditional fan-base. We accept that part of the challenge we face is striking the right balance between retaining the game’s heritage and recruiting new enthusiasts, particularly young people, many of whom think and behave differently from previous generations. 

County cricket is sometimes erroneously portrayed as a sport in decline. It isn’t. The county game is growing and its growth is in no small measure due to the loyal and devoted support it receives from many of the readers who responded to your survey. However, to ensure that county cricket remains strong it needs to be relevant to different communities across England and Wales, and appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Your readers’ views carry weight and will always be an important part of any debate about the game’s future, but we trust you will also appreciate that our game needs to address a wider audience and reflect a broader range of opinions if it is to realise its full potential.

BIG CRICKET SURVEY HOMEPAGE