The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that around £45m from investment in The Hundred teams is to be spent on grassroots cricket facilities.
As part of a drive to make cricket the most inclusive team sport, the new strategic facilities Fund will support projects for women and girls, disability cricket, as well as those from lower socio-economic groups or ethnically diverse communities.
Strategic facilities Fund
This new Fund is going to be aimed at large strategic projects with a blend of venues from cricket domes and indoor halls to non-turf facilities and multi-use games areas. Existing facilities could be in line for financial support to be upgraded.
As ever with announcements like this, the way this filters down to a very local level and who benefits across England and Wales will be watched closely.
Recreational County Boards (or the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation here) will be able to apply for ECB funds from April 2026, with the expectation of local partnerships to help with things like favourable leases, in-kind contributions or access to land.
For those rolling their eyes at the mere mention of The Hundred, or wondering how this might actually trickle down to say Division Eight of the Nidderdale League, the ECB has revealed additional funding in other areas too.
County Grants Fund
For 2026, the ECB has doubled its commitment to £5m of smaller grants to help clubs upgrade facilities through the ECB County Grants Fund. Those who focus on improving their facilities and provide a welcoming environment for women’s and girls’ cricket are the focus for this funding.
With the ECB’s goal of having at least 6,000 girls’ teams by 2028, this strategic funding is earmarked for the next three years.
There will also be a higher ceiling of up to £75,000 per club available as interest-free loans. The kind of projects that may be successful are machinery like rollers, covers, nets, non-turf pitches or building upgrades.
Climate change & grass pitches
The ECB has also shared that £1m a year will be invested into recreational grants to tackle the impact of climate change. A further £2m will be ploughed (literally in some cases) into grass pitch improvement, supported by Sport England.
🔥 Cricket Yorkshire’s spicy hot take
(I’m thinking about putting a Chef Akila lamb curry on, hence the sub-heading!)
Whatever the ECB does, it will get slated in some quarters but this is very significant news. Until now, the benefit to the recreational game was a little ethereal; mentioned in passing among headline sums as The Hundred teams were snapped up.
This is a £45m bus. I recommend clubs get on it.
It won’t change into a different bus. Nor will the funding focus shift. Nor do I think it should by the way. There are hundreds of cricket clubs in Yorkshire already putting their energy into women and girls’ cricket, with many more starting teams and looking to make 2026 their year.
At the same time, we need as much money, expertise and collaboration as humanly possible to find more places to play cricket. In addition to improving or converting existing opportunities.
The ECB’s funding won’t solve everything but in the coming years, there will be better facilities provision, including here in Yorkshire, to get more enjoying cricket in communities.
- ECB: £45m of The Hundred windfall for grassroots facilities - February 19, 2026
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