Starting in 2025: Equal Minimum Salaries for Men and Women

Starting in 2025, minimum salaries for men and women in domestic cricket will be equal. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is making a significant change by restructuring the women’s domestic game. They are introducing a new system in which eight first-class counties will host Tier 1 teams. Furthermore, this number will increase to nine in 2026 and ten in 2027.

For these counties, the minimum salary for a “rookie,” which represents a player’s first professional contract will be set at £20,000. This amount will escalate to £28,000 at the “senior pro” level which requires a specific number of first-team appearances. Moreover, this three-tiered county structure will replace the existing regional model. This change is part of the ECB’s initiative to increase investment in women’s domestic cricket.

By 2027, the funding will reach £19 million annually. The Tier 1 counties will include Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire with Yorkshire and Glamorgan joining in subsequent years. Notably, these counties will align their schedules with men’s competitions including the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup starting next season.

In addition, starting in 2025 each Tier 1 county must contract a minimum of 15 players and invest between £500,000 and £800,000 on player salaries.  Currently, regions allocate £250,000 for salaries while the average salary for women players stands at £25,000. Importantly, the women’s game lacks rookie contracts. Furthermore, a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) revealed widespread discrimination in English cricket.

This report highlighted significant issues regarding equality within the sport. It showed that England women players earn only 25% of what their male counterparts make for white-ball games. Additionally, they receive just 15% of the match fees for Tests. In response, the ECB equalized match fees for men and women in August 2023. The ECB has not set a timeline for achieving complete pay equality.

However, it is exploring third-party investments in the eight Hundred teams which could help increase player salaries overall.