The strength of a team in cricket – both on and off the pitch – comes from the difference and individuality within it. 

The ECB is committed to ensuring cricket is for everyone, connecting communities and improving lives by bringing people together through their shared passion for the sport. We are taking proactive action around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to create a game that belongs to us all, now and long into the future. Our aim is to make cricket the most inclusive sport in England and Wales.

Whether you are a young player, a long-term fan, a potential employee, a supplier, or totally new to cricket, you play a part in helping us achieve our ambitions. We are open about the challenges we face, the actions we take and the outcomes we achieve at all levels. 

What EDI means for cricket 

We are focussed on delivering equity, diversity and inclusion in cricket in order to make sure everyone feels like cricket is a game for them. 

While we interact with people from all backgrounds in England & Wales, we also play with and work with people from around the world. Our view of what EDI is and why it’s important takes our role both at home and on the global stage into account. 

Equity means creating fair access, opportunities, and equal possible outcomes for all. 

Diversity is the presence of differences that enrich where we play and work.  

• Differences can include visible and non-visible factors like the protected characteristics in the UK Equality Act 2010 as well as things like educational background, introvert/extrovert personalities, accent or culture. 

• It’s not only about inherent characteristics. We recognise that certain aspects of diversity can also be acquired over time, like parenting and caring responsibilities, military experience or language skills. 

Inclusion means having a welcoming culture for all people where they feel they are valued and respected.  

Intersectionality recognises that we all have multiple, overlapping identities that may impact on our experience in different ways. 

We may adapt different initiatives for different groups of people depending on requirements identified. 

Why EDI is important across cricket 

EDI enables us to build the strongest teams, inspire the most people, and achieve our purpose of improving lives and connecting communities. Cricket is a game steeped in history but if we are to remain relevant as a sport, we need to better reflect today’s society. By being inclusive of the people we interact with at all levels, we will continue to build a better understanding of how to truly be a game for everyone. 

There are a number of ways in which we can create a more welcoming and stronger game by delivering EDI. For example: 

• Joining in: More people will feel confident to play, volunteer, attend, watch, and speak up when they believe they will be heard, valued and respected for who they are in cricket. 

• Talent: We want great people with different perspectives and skills playing and working across all levels of cricket. We want to start from the broadest talent pool with people across backgrounds and support them with equitable opportunities to achieve their full potential – whether that’s on or off the pitch.

• Commercial: As cricket continues to evolve, we’re excited to welcome more people than ever from different backgrounds as part of our strategic vision to grow and grow stronger. This includes growing revenue to invest back into all levels of cricket and working in collaboration with commercial partners to address mutual EDI opportunities.

• Decision-making: Improved diversity of thought and perspectives can bring us more relevant innovation for how we will inspire generations and evolve what we do. It can also bring better challenge to how we make decisions and manage risks across the game.

• Brand: We recognise that everyone from players and parents to partner organisations want to be part of a sport that is socially and ethically responsible. 

Visit our Raising the Game page for stories of individuals and organisations across the cricket network who are driving the game forward. 

Our EDI strategy 

Our EDI strategy directly supports the central vision in the ECB’s Inspiring Generations strategy. For cricket to be for everyone, EDI work is happening across the entire game. We recognise how much there is still to do, and as we learn more and society continues to change, we will constantly adapt our approach. Insights from listening sessions, data and EDI best practices help us to define and prioritise the steps we are taking, often in collaboration with many others, to build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive sport. 

Game-wide 12-point action plan: In November 2021 the ECB, MCC, the PCA, NCCA Ltd, the First Class Counties, Women’s Regional Hosts and the Recreational County Cricket network jointly developed and launched a wide-ranging action plan to promote equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the game and to provide a game-wide response to discrimination within the game. The plan included a list of actions focussing on areas where we knew further improvements were necessary: 

• Understanding and educating more  

• Addressing dressing room culture 

• Removing barriers in talent pathways

• Creating welcoming environments for all 

Counties have published their own localised EDI action plans to underpin this, and to support the plan, the ECB has been collaborating with Sport England to help the whole game achieve increased diversity among its Boards; providing £25 million of strategic funding over five years to support EDI actions across cricket; and forming a new Anti-Discrimination Unit to ensure the ECB can tackle discrimination in all forms. 

ECB EDI action plan: In November 2021 the ECB also launched its own EDI action plan “Cricket is a Game for Me”.  The foundations of our EDI plan include actions to: 

• Empower people to make positive change across cricket 

• Build diverse teams that reflect the communities they serve

• Develop inclusive environments where everyone feels welcome and safe

• Lead with accountability and commitment 

Annual ECB EDI Reports: Our ECB EDI Reports 2022 highlight the work being done across the game over 2022.  They report on the progress made against the Game-wide EDI Action Plan, the results of our own ECB EDI Action Plan and additional activity under way for different aspects of diversity. They also identify where we need to work harder. We know we are at the start of the journey, and we will continue to work to reach a place where cricket is the most inclusive sport. 

The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC): In November 2020 the ECB announced it was creating the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket to advise the ECB Board in assessing the evidence of inequalities and discrimination within cricket, and the actions needed to tackle these issues. The ICEC published its report in June 2023. We published our response in September 2023, setting out further action which will be taken across the whole of cricket to address issues raised and make cricket a more inclusive sport. A progress update was shared with the Culture, Media and Sport committee in February 2024.

As we implement our plans, we gain further insight and recognise more opportunities to drive progress. Our EDI strategy will evolve to incorporate what we learn from stakeholders across the game and from the ICEC, and updates to game-wide and ECB actions will follow. 

Every organisation within the cricket network and every individual involved in the game has a role to play in supporting real change on and off the pitch so that our game reflects the populations of England & Wales and embraces inclusive behaviours and actions in everything we do. We are committed to constantly listening, learning and acting to ensure cricket really is a game for everyone. 

Tackling Discrimination 

Discrimination and other negative behaviours stand in the way of progress for cricket.  Any form of discrimination in cricket is completely unacceptable and we will take all necessary steps to eradicate it wherever and whenever we find it. We launched an Anti-Discrimination Code in 2021 that ensures that any incidence of discrimination in the professional game, and in recreational leagues and clubs that fall under our jurisdiction, can be subject to disciplinary processes and sanctions.  We also actively encourage anyone involved in cricket – at any level – to report any discrimination they experience or witness through our anonymous reporting scheme. 

Our EDI governance 

Delivering on EDI is crucial to the ECB’s success, and this is recognised within our governance structure. All members of the ECB’s Executive Management Team have at least one personal objective that is linked to EDI goals. Remuneration is linked to delivery of these goals. 

A dedicated ECB EDI team has oversight of the day-to-day execution of activities against the EDI strategy, and the ECB’s Board of Directors regularly reviews progress. Within our governance structure, we also review the steps required to support more consistent progress across the game in collaboration with the cricket network and other professional sector organisations like Sport England.  

We want to be transparent about our progress on EDI and will continue to provide regular updates against our action plans and other key metrics like representation and sentiment.