The challenge
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is committed to inspiring future generations of participants and supporters to fall in love with - and stay in love with - the game of cricket. However, over the last two years, across the UK, cricket has been heavily criticised for being institutionally racist, discriminatory and exclusive.
During this period, everyone associated with the sport has been forced to reflect on the culture of cricket and how we can rebuild trust among the cricket family. The ECB has committed to a wide-ranging action plan to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels of the game. This represents a game-wide response.
Through its 12-Point Action Plan and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan (2021), the ECB has committed to taking tangible and immediate action, while also taking time to listen, learn and review its approaches. Leeds Beckett University has made a significant contribution to this. The aim of our research was to explore the extent to which cricket events and venues are inclusive and welcoming to diverse communities, offer recommendations for future developments, and develop resources to help the cricket workforce advance their EDI practices and offer.
The approach
Our work was conducted in three workstreams:
- Workstream one:
x44 in-depth, qualitative one-to-one interviews, x6 focus groups (involving x15 people) with stakeholders from across the eight Hundred venues, and in-depth on-site match day assessment of x4 venues. This involved observation of event provisions, spectators, as well as casual conversations with spectators and event staff (such as stewards, hospitality, police).
- Workstream two:
x52 in-depth, qualitative one-to-one interviews with stakeholders from all 18 First Class Counties, and MCC.
- Workstream three:
x4 regional workshops, involving representatives of all First Class Counties and MCC.
- Workstream four:
Taking insights from workstreams one to three, development of the Inclusive Match Day Toolkit.
The impact
- In the past year, the ECB has revised the mandatory EDI standards as part of its hosting contract with each venue. These standards include a requirement to use the Inclusive Matchday Toolkit to review the existing experience and develop a plan of action.
- The toolkit has significant potential to inform and impact the practices of all professional cricket venues in the UK.
- We undertook four regional workshops that brought all First Class County Clubs together to problem solve, share best practice, and accelerated implementation of organisational changes.
