Yorkshire ‘surprised and disappointed’ to be left out of ECB’s new ‘Tier 1’ women’s cricket revamp

Durham’s bid was preferred to Yorkshire to be a women’s cricket regional hub in the North East

Headingley will not host ‘Tier 1’ cricket (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

Yorkshire will have to wait until 2027 to take part in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new ‘Tier 1’ revamp 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 have been chosen as hosts, with the governing body abolishing the existing regional structure in favour of alignment with the first-class counties.

The blow to Yorkshire, for whom this is a further setback after several turbulent years on and off the field, has been mitigated by a promise to bring them into an expanded competition in the third season.

Yorkshire’s board have released a statement, saying: “Yorkshire County Cricket Club are surprised and disappointed not to be awarded one of the initial Tier 1 women’s teams as part of the first allocations from the ECB.

The Northern Diamonds have been the professional set up in the region since the previous redesign of the women’s game (Getty Images for Surrey CCC)

“The news is especially frustrating and upsetting for the players and staff at the Northern Diamonds. They have been trying to deal with it whilst preparing for their first game of the season in two days. Our focus is on supporting them through this difficult period and gaining as much clarity on what the future looks like.

“Yorkshire has the largest active playing base of women and girls in the country, has produced many players that have gone on to represent England in the women’s game, winning the County Championship 16 times and Headingley has been successfully hosting the Northern Diamonds since 2020, so naturally the news has been tough to take.

“Yorkshire has a rich ethnicity mix and as part of our ongoing work to be the most welcoming and inclusive cricket club in the country, we use women’s and girl’s cricket as the cornerstone to creating real, tangible value in those communities that need it the most.

“We believe we hit all of the criteria set out as part of the tender, so we will be taking time to investigate and understand the detail behind the decision, assessing the best next steps for the club and most importantly ensuring we support the players and staff that are impacted.”

Glamorgan have been given the same assurances and both will receive additional funding to help build their pathway.

• Durham
• Essex
• Hampshire
• Lancashire
• Nottinghamshire
• Somerset
• Surrey
• Warwickshire

But there will be no ‘Tier 1’ cricket at Lord’s in the foreseeable future, with MCC declining to put itself forward and Middlesex among those overlooked. Sussex have also been left on the outside looking in, despite a long and strong commitment to the women’s game.

They will be hoping to be included as the elite level continues to grow, with the ECB outlining plans to further expand to 12 teams by 2029.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said: “I’d like to congratulate those counties who have been successful in their bids.

“I’m also delighted that in light of the support we have seen and the strength of the bids we have considered, we can accelerate our plans, including new top tier professional teams at Glamorgan and Yorkshire by 2027 with a further two being introduced by 2029.

“More professional teams means more women able to make a career out of being a cricketer, more role models to inspire future generations, and more of the country having a women’s professional team to follow nearby.

I recognise today’s announcement will be disappointing to those who haven’t been successful

Richard Gould

“I recognise today’s announcement will also be disappointing to those who haven’t 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 the other tiers so together we can all realise the potential of women’s domestic cricket.”

Beth Barrett-Wild, the ECB’s director of the women’s professional game, praised the calibre of offers from around the country. She said: “Over the last couple of months it’s been brilliant to see the time and energy that has gone into the submissions, and I’ve been hugely impressed by the quality and ambition of the bids.

“It’s clear that the game is united in wanting to take the women’s professional game forward.”

The ECB has put £5million per year of new funding into the women’s domestic set-up, rising to £8million when Yorkshire and Glamorgan come aboard.

It estimates a potential increase of 80 per cent in the number of professional female players.

There will be no promotion or relegation between 2025 and 2028, allowing the new three-tier system to bed in.