About the England and Wales Cricket Board

About ECB

ECB headquarters at Lord's

The England and Wales Cricket Board was established on January 1 1997 as the single national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales. It has its headquarters at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

For the third consecutive year ECB was able to report a double-digit increase in the numbers of people playing cricket across the country.

An annual study of ECB focus clubs released in November 2009 revealed that overall participation has risen by 15 per cent. This increase came on the back of a 24 per cent rise in 2008 and a 27 per cent rise in 2007.

Disability cricket, which officially came under the purview of the ECB in early 2009, experienced the single largest increase in the last 12 months with participation levels up by 66 per cent.

The increased popularity of cricket in England & Wales combined with the strength of the domestic and international game has enabled ECB to attract and retain a number of high profile commercial partners such as npower, NatWest, Red Bull, Buxton and adidas.

Cricket's strategic plan

In February 2008, ECB announced a £30million investment in facilities and in club cricket, the most significant injection of funding ever in cricket in England and Wales.

ECB unveiled the blueprint for cricket’s continued success and development over the next four years with the launch of Building Partnerships in April 2005.