England's female domestic cricketers to receive equal pay from 2025
In a significant stride toward gender equality, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that minimum starting salaries for women's domestic cricket will be on par with men's professional games from 2025. This change will come into effect at both 'Rookie' and 'Senior Pro' levels, marking a first for the women's game. The decision comes before the inaugural season of new women's county competition.
Response to ICEC's call for pay structure overhaul
The ECB's decision follows the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC)'s report from June 2023, which urged a "fundamental overhaul" of the women's cricket pay structure in England and Wales. The report revealed that the average salary for England Women was only 20.6% of their male counterparts' earnings, although the ECB estimated this figure closer to 30%. It set goals to attain pay equality at domestic level by 2029 and internationals by 2030.
ECB's commitment to minimum salaries
Despite initially resisting the ICEC report's timeline for achieving full parity, the ECB has shown its commitment to minimum salaries. This move is seen as a necessary step toward providing equal opportunities to young players considering cricket as a career choice. At the time of the report's release, male First-Class county players' minimum salary was approximately £27,500.
ECB confirms minimum squad sizes and salary cap
The England cricket board has also confirmed that the eight Tier 1 counties in the new women's competition will have minimum squad sizes of 15 contracted players. Each First-Class county has to invest at least £500,000 on their player salary costs in 2025. A salary cap of £800,000 per year has been agreed for those clubs. The ECB's Professional Game Committee (PGC) has approved the starting salaries and salary budget details.
