The England and Wales Cricket Board was established on January 1 1997 as the single national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales.
It has its headquarters at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London NW8.
The formation of the ECB was the culmination of a drive towards creating, for the first time, one unified body responsible for the management and development of every form of cricket for men and women.
This included clubs, schools, juniors and youth, disabilities cricket, representative, first class and international cricket - the whole game from playground to the Test arena.
The ECB took over the responsibilities carried out for some 30 years by the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council, all of which ceased to exist.
In April 1998 the Women’s Cricket Association (WCA) was also integrated into the organisation.
The formation of the ECB followed two years of research into how cricket in England and Wales could be better organised to attract more players to the game, raise standards at all levels and promote cricket as a spectator sport.
ECB Structure
Responsibility for the day-to-day running of the ECB rests with the executive management team who report directly to the chief executive, Tom Harrison, with each enjoying a high degree of functional delegated authority.
The chief executive, in turn, reports to the chairman of the ECB Board. This was expanded in size from 12 to 14 members in May 2010; for the first time including two women directors. Full details of the ECB Board's composition can be found here
An executive committee chaired by the chief executive is responsible for delivering the ECB’s strategic plans and three other committees (cricket, commercial and finance) are actively responsible for working with the leadership team on policy, planning and strategic issues - plus also an arm’s-length Discipline Standing Committee.
The board is comprised of a chairman, deputy chairman and chairman of cricket elected by all 41 members of ECB, two independent directors, three directors from the first-class game, two directors from the recreational game, two ECB executives, a women’s game representative and an MCC representative.
Members of the ECB
The 41 members of the ECB are: the Chairmen of the 18 First-Class Counties; the Chairmen of the 21 County Boards in Non-First Class Counties; the Chairman of the MCC; and the Chairman of the Minor Counties Cricket Association.
Summary of Constitutional Changes 2015
A review of the ECB’s Articles of Association was carried out by the ECB Board. This review was primarily a result of the constitutional reorganisation of the ICC and specifically the fact that the ECB’s appointee as a Full Member Director on the Executive Board of the ICC has now assumed a far more significant and time-consuming role in the running of the ICC.
Main changes:
- The creation of a new Board position of ECB President; this person’s primary role will be to act as the ECB’s Full Member Director on the ICC’s Executive Board. The President will be appointed by the Board following a recommendation from the ECB’s Nominations Committee
- The President will also sit on the ECB Board which will remain a 14-strong body as one of the four existing Board members appointed by the Chairmen of the First Class County Clubs will be appointed to act as Deputy Chairman
- All existing directors will continue to retire from their current appointments in line with their current terms of office but, from 13 May 2015, the standard term of office becomes four years
- The one exception is the new Chairman. Colin Graves will take office immediately following the May 2015 ECB AGM and his term of office will be five years (until the 2020 ECB AGM). This is to avoid an election taking place immediately before the 2019 ICC World Cup which the ECB is scheduled to host
- In line with best corporate governance practice, the revised Articles of Association introduce maximum terms of office
