Cricket board’s £61m to keep clubs afloat in crisis

THE England and Wales Cricket Board has announced an emergency funding package worth £61m to keep counties and clubs afloat during what could be ‘the biggest challenge in the history of the game’.

The coronavirus crisis has forced the domestic campaign to be postponed until at least May 28, although the governing body’s own modelling takes into account the possibility of the entire 2020 campaign being cancelled.

The resulting loss in revenues presents a dire problem during what should be the sport’s peak commercial months and the ECB response has been swift - with £40million dropping into the accounts of first-class counties and county cricket boards yesterday morning. That money involves bringing forward some promised payments and removing restrictions around others, with more than £20million also being made available in the form of interestfree loans and grants.

Announcing the measures, ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “It is no exaggeration to say this is the biggest challenge the ECB has faced in the history of the game, the modern era anyway and certainly in the ECB’s history. This is just the start of addressing this massive challenge and we have to work together because every area of the game will be impacted in the event that most or all of the cricket season is lost.”

Monthly payments which would usually be passed down by the ECB in May, June and July will be issued immediately, as will two years’ worth of facilities maintenance money.