look news india
London, September 25 (HS). The England Cricket Board (ECB) has taken another step towards gender equality, under which the minimum starting salary in domestic cricket will be made equal in men's and women's professional sports from 2025.
The move, which will coincide with the first season of the new women's county competition and will apply to players at 'Senior Pro' level who have established themselves in first teams.
The announcement comes in the wake of the Independent Commission for Equality in Cricket (ICEC) report due in June 2023, which called for “fundamental changes” to the pay structure for women's cricket in England and Wales.
The report found that the average pay of women in England was 20.6% of their male counterparts (although the ECB believed that figure to be closer to 30%), and set a target of equalising pay domestically by 2029 and internationally by 2030.
Although the ECB stressed the report's timeline for achieving full equality in the game, their commitment to a minimum wage reflects the need to provide equality of opportunity for young players considering cricket as a career option. At the time of the report's publication, the minimum wage for male first-class county players was around £27,500.
Beth Barrett-Wild, Director of Women's Professional Game, said, “Equalising the starting salaries across our men's and women's professional domestic game is another positive step forward for women's cricket in England and Wales. The changes we have made to the structure of women's domestic cricket over the last nine months are all about creating a sustainable and viable product that is attractive off the field, as well as quality on the field. As part of this, it is vital that our players are remunerated fairly, and that cricket is seen as not just a viable career option for women, but an attractive one too.”
“Every decision we make is about making cricket as attractive a sport for young girls as it is for boys. We know we still have a lot of work to do in this area. But we are moving fast, and today’s news is another important milestone in the journey towards gender equality in sport,” he added.
The ECB has also confirmed that the eight Tier 1 counties in the new women's competition will have a minimum of 15 contracted players, with each of the first-class counties required to invest at least £500,000 on their players' wage costs in 2025. A salary cap of £800,000 a year has also been agreed for those clubs.
