In a massive step forward, England Women are set to receive equal match fees as the Men’s national team cricketers. Notably, the match fees hike will kick in with England’s first T20I match against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to commence on Thursday, August 31.
It is worth mentioning that the women’s national team pulled a record-breaking crowd of over 110,000 during the seven Ashes matches. As per a report, the multi-format Ashes series set new records in terms of attendance, which included the ODI series going sold-out, with an overall rise in ticket sales of over 200 per cent since 2019.
In addition to this, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report stated that discrimination seemed ‘widespread’ in English and Welsh cricket. Following the report by the ICEC and the surge in interest in the women’s games, the ECB decided to take a step forward and offer an equal match fee hike.
Earlier, the women cricketers were paid 20.6 per cent of their male counterparts’ fees by the apex board. Heather Knight, England Women’s captain, expressed her delight at the move by the ECB and stated that it would help grow the game.
“It’s really important that we continue to drive the women’s game forward and it’s fantastic to see equal match fees for England Women and England Men. The direction of travel for the women’s game has always been the most important thing, creating a sustainable product that people want to watch and play,” Heather Knight was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“And I’m sure this will make cricket an increasingly attractive sport to girls and young women as we continue to grow the game. I would also like to thank the PCA and England Women’s Player Partnership for their support in representing the players and the growth of the professional game,” she added.
The ECB has also set targets for equalising pay at the domestic level by 2029 and for internationals by 2030. Meanwhile, Heather Knight and Co. will kickstart their multi-format series against Sri Lanka which includes three T20Is and as many ODIs.