ECB Impact of Cricket Report – 2023

For the first time this year, the ECB has produced a report focused on the impact of cricket on the people who are touched by the game; whether as players, fans, or volunteers; and on the communities where it is played. We are publishing the Impact of Cricket Report tomorrow, under embargo until 12 noon, and we wanted to share this with you ahead of publication.

We have worked with experts from The Sports Consultancy to assess the breadth of our projects and programmes in England and Wales and the outcomes that they deliver, as well as the benefits cricket delivers more widely. In doing so, we aim to learn more both about what is working well and where there are opportunities to have greater impact in the future.

The report shows that there is clear evidence of the benefits that cricket brings to people’s lives by helping them to be more active, supporting mental wellbeing and fostering connections in local communities. Some selected findings below show that:

• Cricket improves people’s lives:
  • 80% of players agreed that playing cricket keeps them active in a way that they wouldn’t be without it.
  • 83% of parents say their child’s confidence has been boosted by taking part in the ECB’s All Stars and Dynamos programmes.
  • 78% of players agreed cricket helps them to develop skills that are useful in their personal and professional lives.

• Cricket connects communities:
  • 92% of players agreed playing makes them feel part of the community.
  • 79% of volunteers believe their volunteering has had a positive impact on their community.
  • 83% of players agreed that playing cricket means they appreciate people from different backgrounds.

By growing the game more people will benefit from these positive impacts, with the ECB’s activities and initiatives supporting the long-term future of cricket and creating more opportunities for people to get involved in the sport. Some examples include:

• 1.1 million children played cricket through ECB programmes, partner programmes or organised play last year.
• 2023 has seen 717 new women’s and girls’ teams – a 20% growth in the last year.
• 526 recreational clubs have been funded to make their facilities more accessible and welcoming in a single year due to a focus on breaking down barriers to people getting involved.
• Access to cricket in urban areas is improving thanks to money targeted into the most deprived areas, with over 30,000 players engaged to play through hubs which bring together cricket and other local services.
• With support from the #Funds4Runs initiative with LV= Insurance, over 3,000 bursaries have helped people from underrepresented groups to gain coaching qualifications since 2021.

The report goes into more detail, with further evidence around how we are supporting people and more communities in different ways through what we do. Finally, it also touches on some of our work to make the game more environmentally sustainable, with evidence from our detailed Environmental Sustainability Plan which we will be publishing today.

The report can’t cover every piece of activity and action the ECB and the wider cricket network is undertaking, but I hope you’ll agree that some of the data it includes demonstrates the good that our game can deliver.

Thanks go to you to all, as you and your teams have directly contributed to the impacts shown in the report. We have far more data and positive case studies than we could ever possibly include and have had to scale back the content to make it digestible. This means the report is naturally more focused on the broader national initiatives and investments, however the impacts of our sport will be relevant to some extent, no matter which area of the country you are situated in.

Richard Thompson
ECB Chair
28/11/2023