Essex Cricket bids to become home to elite women's team from start of 2025 season

Plans to take Women's Cricket to the next level Credit: PA Images

Ambitious plans have been unveiled to transform Essex into the 'number one' region for women's sport.

It comes as Essex County Cricket Club have announced it is bidding to run a Tier One professional women’s cricket team from the 2025 season.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which runs the game domestically and controls the country's international sides, plans to help develop the female game.

Under proposals announced earlier this year, it wants to build on the success of the women's version of the sport.

It said: "The eight women’s Regional teams have accelerated performance standards on the field to create an engine room of fresh talent to go on and excel for England Women – exactly as the Regional Model was designed to do.

"The Regional Model has taken women’s domestic cricket to a point where there are 80+ women’s domestic cricketers on an average annual salary of £25k. It has built the foundations from which the women’s professional game can now develop further."

England Women leg spinner Mady Villiers signed up for the Trent Rockets franchise for The Hundred Credit: PA

The ECB hopes to transfer the running of each of the eight regional sides to a First-Class county for an initial five years from next summer.

The ECB said it is committed to "investing a minimum of £1.3m annually into each of the eight women’s teams Tier 1 Clubs throughout the length of the term."

Essex said its bid will focus on community engagement and empowerment, and will 'revolutionise the landscape of women’s cricket under the resounding banner of ‘We Are Essex’.

The bid will see the cricket club team up with the University of Essex and neighbouring professional outfit, the Essex Rebels, who compete in basketball and volleyball at elite national league level.

Watch a report from Hannah Pettifer about the Essex Rebels basketball team

A joint statement by the University and Essex Cricket said: "Our bid is moving forward under a vision to be the number one region in England for women and girls’ sport with cricket at the heart of this, with the support of a number of key organisations and individuals, including the cricket boards of Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk."

Essex Cricket Chief Executive, John Stephenson, added: “We aim to create the strongest playing pathways, nurture the most inspiring role models, and deliver electrifying moments in iconic arenas.

“With the full knowledge that a successful bid allows us a once-in-a-generation chance to transform women’s cricket in our region, we are incredibly excited by this opportunity and proud to submit a bid.

“We are delighted to have received so much support from eminent individuals and organisations throughout Essex and the region, and we are eagerly anticipating the outcome of the process.

Essex Women’s player, Catherine Dalton, now bowling coach with the Pakistan Superleague side Multan Sultans, said the growth of women’s cricket in England and Wales had been 'exhilarating to be a part of'.

Catherine Dalton with Southern Punjab and Pakistan Super League Players Credit: Catherine Dalton

Dalton, who played for England in the 2016 T20 World Cup, said: “I am of course delighted to be in my position with Multan Sultans on a personal level, but my major aim is to continue to demonstrate to young female cricketers that they can achieve anything in the game.

“At Essex, our talent pathway is flourishing, with a brief look to our Under-18s’ achievements in national competitions telling you everything you need to know.

“Now, our aim is to ensure that success is celebrated and maintained, with the opportunity to host a fully-professional Essex team a wonderful opportunity to do just that.”

Dr Dave Parry, Director of Sport at the University of Essex, added: “This is a very exciting bid, and we are proud to be at the heart of taking women’s cricket to the next level in Essex and beyond.

“We have a proud history of supporting elite female sport and already host the FA Women’s High-Performance Centre and are a proud home to the Essex Rebels basketball and volleyball teams.

“Players will benefit from working with researchers, who already have extensive experience in supporting top athletes across the globe, and will have access to our elite on-site sport science facilities.

“This trailblazing project further develops Essex as the home of elite sport in the eastern region.”

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