Counties Cricket Clubs Fail to Improve Diversity Squeeze
England and Wales Cricket Board's latest report has revealed that county cricket clubs have made no progress in increasing ethnic and gender diversity among their senior leaders. The State of Equity in Cricket Report, commissioned after the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, shows a lack of improvement in representation since 2019.
Only two counties - Yorkshire and Kent - have had minority ethnic executives or chairs, with Sanjay Patel, chief executive at Yorkshire, being from an ethnically diverse background. Krishna Shanmuganathan, chair at Kent, is the only minority ethnic chair. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire's Lisa Pursehouse left in September, while Leicestershire appointed Emma White as their new chief executive.
In contrast, the ECB has seen greater success with 42% of its governing board being female and 33% ethnically diverse. The report highlights that interventions aimed at increasing diversity have not yet led to improvements in representation among senior leaders.
The ECB chair Richard Thompson acknowledged there is still work to be done, saying that becoming the most inclusive team sport was an ambition for the game. However, he also noted that while progress has been made, more needs to be done, particularly in executive leadership roles, to reflect the communities served by cricket clubs.
Despite efforts to increase access to county talent pathways and reduce discrimination through the creation of an independent Cricket Regulator, significant barriers remain. The ECB report is a stark reminder of the need for greater action to address the lack of diversity in cricket's leadership structures.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket recommended 44 changes, including improved representation among senior leaders. While some progress has been made, the State of Equity in Cricket Report highlights that more work is needed to achieve true equality and inclusion in cricket clubs across England and Wales.
England and Wales Cricket Board's latest report has revealed that county cricket clubs have made no progress in increasing ethnic and gender diversity among their senior leaders. The State of Equity in Cricket Report, commissioned after the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, shows a lack of improvement in representation since 2019.
Only two counties - Yorkshire and Kent - have had minority ethnic executives or chairs, with Sanjay Patel, chief executive at Yorkshire, being from an ethnically diverse background. Krishna Shanmuganathan, chair at Kent, is the only minority ethnic chair. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire's Lisa Pursehouse left in September, while Leicestershire appointed Emma White as their new chief executive.
In contrast, the ECB has seen greater success with 42% of its governing board being female and 33% ethnically diverse. The report highlights that interventions aimed at increasing diversity have not yet led to improvements in representation among senior leaders.
The ECB chair Richard Thompson acknowledged there is still work to be done, saying that becoming the most inclusive team sport was an ambition for the game. However, he also noted that while progress has been made, more needs to be done, particularly in executive leadership roles, to reflect the communities served by cricket clubs.
Despite efforts to increase access to county talent pathways and reduce discrimination through the creation of an independent Cricket Regulator, significant barriers remain. The ECB report is a stark reminder of the need for greater action to address the lack of diversity in cricket's leadership structures.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket recommended 44 changes, including improved representation among senior leaders. While some progress has been made, the State of Equity in Cricket Report highlights that more work is needed to achieve true equality and inclusion in cricket clubs across England and Wales.
... I mean, isn't it what we want for our communities - people from all backgrounds leading the way? It's like, we're talking about cricket here, a sport that's supposed to bring people together, but instead, we've got these barriers holding us back. It's not just about numbers, it's about representation, it's about feeling seen and heard. And I think that's what's missing here... the sense of belonging. The ECB's got 42% female reps, that's a start, but what about the rest? What about all the women and people from diverse backgrounds who are still waiting to see themselves in leadership roles? It's like, we're moving forward, but where are we really going? 
i mean its not like cricketers r getting a pay rise or sumthin 
diversity dont just magically appear wen ur tryin hard lol. ECB's success is jus a small sample size, most counties r still stuck in their old ways of thinkin. and whats w/ all these new faces? isnt that jus tokenistic? 
gotta do more than just appoint a few ppl from different backgrounds 2 show real change. and wot about the barriers u r tryin 2 break? cant u jus, like, make the rules or somethin? 
like, i know nothing about the game but its gotta be super tough to deal with all that racism and sexism in the background 
anyway idk what the ECB can do but they need to keep trying i guess? 
my friend's sister is actually really into cricket and she's been saying for ages how there needs to be more diversity in the clubs 
like, its not just about the game itself its about representation and stuff
. they need to do more than just have a few token minority executives - there needs to be actual representation on all levels 
. and i'm not sure what's going on with nottinghamshire losing their ceo, but it's like, the same old story... lack of action behind the scenes 
Like, what's the point of having a report saying no progress was made on diversity when you already know there's a problem? It's like putting out a fire alarm that doesn't sound because it's not triggering... The ECB chair is right though, more needs to be done but it feels like they're just saying that without actually doing anything about it 
42% female and 33% ethnic diverse - thats not bad at all! but at the same time, i get why they're saying more needs to be done esp in executive roles... its like, if they wanna represent the communities served by cricket clubs, they gotta have people from those backgrounds leading the charge 
. Sanjay Patel at Yorkshire is a good start, but what about all the other clubs? Kent's Krishna Shanmuganathan being a minority ethnic chair is nice, but where are the others? 
I'm like, super disappointed but not surprised, you know? 
I get that it's not easy to increase representation, but come on, 2019 was like, 6 years ago! You'd think we'd have seen some progress by now.
they need to start from the bottom up idk why they even bothered making changes if it's still not working out 
the ECB is trying tho but i'm low-key impressed that Sanjay Patel is actually from an ethnically diverse background 
. The ECB's got a 42% female presence on their board, but the execs? Still all white and straight. What's the point of having a diverse governing body if you're just gonna import it into leadership roles?