Yorkshire will have to wait until 2027 to take part in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new ‘Tier 1’ overhaul of the women’s professional game, after eight other counties were selected to lead the way.
Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire were chosen as hosts, with the governing body abolishing the existing regional structure in favor of alignment with the first-tier counties.
The blow to Yorkshire, for whom it was yet another setback after several turbulent years on and off the field, was softened by the promise of taking them into an expanded competition from the third season.
Glamorgan have received the same assurances and both will receive additional funding to help them build their course.
But there will be no ‘Tier 1’ cricket at Lord’s for the foreseeable future, with MCC refusing to feature and Middlesex among those overlooked. The Sussexes were also left out, despite a long and strong
commitment to women’s football
The ECB has also said it wants to expand Tier 1 teams to 12 by 2029, but no decision has yet been made on where these other two teams would be based.
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First class counties that have not achieved Tier 1 status and national counties will be invited to be part of the process to determine teams for Tiers 2 and 3 of the new national structure. These teams will be announced in September before launching in 2025.
For the duration of the 2025-2028 seasons, the three levels will be “closed”, without promotion or relegation.
The plans could see an 80 per cent increase in the number of professional female players by 2029 and the ECB is pledging an extra £3 million a year from when Glamorgan and Yorkshire are up and running.
This means a total of £8m of new funding per year will be invested in women’s domestic cricket by 2027, bringing annual investment in this area to £19m.
Richard Gould, chief executive of the ECB, said: “Through this process we have seen a huge appetite from first-class counties to have a professional women’s team, as well as a real commitment to growing women’s cricket and feminine in this country.
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“I would like to congratulate the counties that won their bids. I am also pleased that in light of the support we have seen and the strength of the bids we have reviewed, we can accelerate our plans, including the creation of new top-level professional teams in Glamorgan and Yorkshire by 2027 and two more will be introduced by 2029.
“More professional teams means more women able to pursue careers in cricket, more role models to inspire future generations and more countries having a professional women’s team to follow nearby.
“I recognize that today’s announcement will also be disappointing for those who have not been successful at this stage. But with the new three-tier structure we are introducing, there is still a huge opportunity for them to compete in other levels, then together we can all realize the potential of women’s domestic cricket.
Beth Barrett-Wild, director of women’s professional football at the ECB, said: “It is clear that the game is united in the desire to progress women’s professional football and in the desire to produce commercially dynamic teams and competitions that excite fans and highlight the quality of our professional football players.
“I’m excited for what’s next, for the counties themselves, for the players, for the fans and for everyone who wants to see women’s cricket continue its accelerated trajectory.”
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