The minimum starting pay in domestic cricket for men and women will be equal starting in 2025, marking another step towards gender parity for England’s Women’s cricketers.
The change will take effect in time for the inaugural season of the new women’s county tournament. It will affect players who have established themselves in first teams at the ‘Senior Pro’ level as well as those who are new to the women’s game at the ‘Rookie’ level.
The news follows the June 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which recommended a “fundamental overhaul” of the compensation system for women’s cricket in England and Wales.
The research revealed that, on average, Women’s in England made 20.6% less money than men did (but the ECB believed that percentage to be closer to 30%).
It also established goals for pay parity for domestic workers by 2029 and for foreign workers by 2030.
The ECB’s reluctance to adhere to the report’s timeline for attaining complete parity throughout the sport is understandable given that providing minimum salary is a means of providing fair and equal opportunities for aspiring cricket players. The minimum pay for male first-class county players was around £27,500 at the time the report was released.
The statement made last summer that England’s women will receive equal match fees for international matches was preceded by this most recent action. The ICEC report had made this recommendation immediately.
Director of Women’s Professional Game Beth Barrett-Wild commented, “Equalising 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.”
“Over the past nine months, we have made significant adjustments to the women’s domestic cricket structure in an effort to create a product that is both high-caliber on the pitch and visually appealing off it. In light of this, it’s critical that our players receive fair compensation and that women view cricket as an alluring profession in addition to one that is feasible.
“More and more, the goal of every choice we make is to make cricket an appealing sport for young girls as well as males. We are aware that there is still much to be done in this area. However, we are making progress quickly, and today’s announcement is a crucial step towards achieving gender parity in the gaming industry.”
The eight Tier 1 counties in the new women’s league will have minimum squad sizes of fifteen contracted players, according to confirmation from the ECB. Additionally, each first-class county must commit to spending at least £500,000 on player salaries by 2025. For those clubs, a salary cap of £800,000 annually has also been agreed upon.
Emma Reid, Director of Player Rights and Women’s Cricket at PCA, stated: “We are really happy to see equalised minimum salaries across the men’s and women’s domestic game from 2025, working with the ECB and the professional game.”
“While there is still work to be done, this is a significant step towards attaining parity, a journey to which the PCA is entirely committed. Since the First-Class Counties now oversee the women’s teams, the PCA will keep pushing for equality in all facets of the professional game.”
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Representatives from the FCCs, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), and the ECB make up the Professional Game Committee (PGC), which has approved the starting salaries and compensation budget details.
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