The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has increased match fees for England’s women cricket players to bring them in line with male players, effective immediately.
The change was recommended in the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, which was published in June. This found that women were paid 25% of men’s fees for white-ball matches and 15% for tests. Meanwhile, the average salary for England’s women players is 20.6% of that for England men, and the England women’s captain’s allowance is 31% of that awarded to the men’s captain.
According to the ECB, match fees are paid for each appearance in addition to the players’ wider salaries, which are not impacted by this change.
This follows increases to domestic salary pots this year, an investment worth £3.5 million, and salaries for women’s players in The Hundred more than doubling last year to £31,250.
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Richard Gould, chief executive officer at ECB, said: “Growing the women’s and girls’ game is a key priority for us, and in recent years we have considerably increased investment both in building a domestic women’s structure to produce the players of the future, and in increasing player rewards. We are currently considering all the recommendations made by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, but equalising match fees is one immediate step we are pleased to make now.
“We all want cricket to be the team sport of choice for female athletes, and with the investments we are making, and increasingly lucrative opportunities around the world, we are seeing cricketers become some of the highest-earning female athletes in UK team sports. However, we know there is still much further to go as we, ultimately, strive for equality across the game. We will continue to focus on making considered investments that stretch far-and-wide across the women’s cricket structures, delivering a thriving, profitable and future-proofed game.”