Essex CCC Chief Executive shares "excitement" over successful Tier 1 Women's team bid
The ECB have announced a three-tier model from next year, with no promotion or relegation and eight counties granted 'tier one' status.
Essex County Cricket Club's Chief Executive, John Stephenson, has expressed excitement following the successful bid to establish a women's professional team in Tier 1 from 2025 onwards.
The ECB have announced a three-tier model from next year, with no promotion or relegation and eight counties granted 'tier one' status.
Essex, along with Durham, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire were all successful, but eight other proposals were not.
Stevenson stated, "we are very excited about being granted a women's professional team in Tier 1 from 2025 onwards. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work from a lot of people's collaborative effort and it's really nice to be recognised by ACB. So yeah, great feeling around the club."
The initiative is expected to benefit young women interested in cricket across the East of England.
Stevenson highlighted, "This is a bit for the whole region really that we want to represent the whole of the East of England. We got the backing of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire. And you know, we feel that it's a great opportunity not just for cricket in Essex, but for cricket in the region and for women's sport in general in the region."
The bid process, despite its financial challenges, received support from various stakeholders. Stevenson elaborated, "Financially it was going to be challenging despite the influx of funding from ECB, you're going to put in 1.5 million a year to fund it. But you know you're setting up a completely new professional team. That runs alongside the men's team." He also emphasized collaboration with Essex University to mitigate risks and enhance facilities.
Regarding the team's competitiveness, Stevenson acknowledged the established status of other teams but expressed confidence in building a strong squad over time. He said, "I think we will have a strong squad but I think we just need to manage expectations on on being a dominant force to begin with. But we will build it up and we'll make sure we're really competitive."
Looking ahead, Stevenson highlighted the importance of developing a clear pathway for aspiring female players within the region. He mentioned, "We will have a strong pathway and this will really there'll be a lot of role models and you know if you're a young female player, you'll now have that aspiration to play for Essex in this region."
In closing, Stevenson urged current supporters to embrace the women's team, stating, "We want to get everyone to get behind it, rally behind our women's team to make it a great success."
Essex County Cricket Club anticipates the women's team's games to be played at Chelmsford, with occasional double-header T20 events to attract larger crowds.