The ECB’s science and medicine support service is driven from the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough by its Science and Medicine Management Group (SMMG).

SMMG meets six times per year, and is responsible for:

Strategy: Setting and continually reviewing the best strategic approach for the delivery of all science and medicine support for cricket within England and Wales.

Management: Acting as an executive group to oversee the most effective day to day management of all science and medicine support on behalf of ECB.

A Guardian of Standards: Ensuring the world’s best professional standards are achieved in the delivery of all ECB support.

Innovation and Research: Promoting the world’s best leading edge applied research performance enhancement and injury prevention within the sport.

Representative: Representing the interests of all science and medicine practitioners operating within the ECB.

The ‘ECB Science and Medicine Strategy 2005-09’ sets out SMMG’s most recent framework for structural, developmental and cultural change in the way the ECB delivers its science and medicine support, realigning work to do into seven new programmes, as follows:

1. Developing Loughborough as the National Cricket Centre
2. Service Delivery
3. Research and Innovation
4. Science and Medicine Education/Link to Coaching
5. ICT/Data Collection
6. Succession Planning
7. Links with Other Sports

SMMG is backed up by the following support network:

ECB SMMG Working Groups

Key standing and ‘one off’ working groups established to examine specific issues; direct identified areas of strategic or programme development; and provide a focus for integration and inter-disciplinary practice and research, as follows:

• Existing Working Groups: Fast Bowling; Research and Innovation; Drugs in Sport; Nutrition.
• Proposed Future Working Groups: Injury Surveillance (inc Shoulder/Throwing); Communications; Performance Analysis.

Sub-discipline groups

Specialist sub-discipline groups that provide the coordinating mechanism for all staff working within the following key areas to agree and share best practice:

• Physical Performance – covering Physiology; Strength and Conditioning; Nutrition
• Psychology and Performance Lifestyle – covering Psychology; Performance Lifestyle
• Performance Analysis and ICT – covering Biomechanics; Performance Analysis
• Clinical Support
• Physiotherapy
• Sports Therapies

Front line support staff

Direct support - from the dedicated and specialist support staff within the senior England teams; to those servicing the National Academy and the England junior teams; the county network; and all third party support provided by the EIS (English Institute of Sport) – is provided by a combination of full time and consultancy staff.

The above structure is shown diagrammatically in the document below:

ECB Sports Science and Medicine support structure 2005 2009 (69 KB)