The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the ‘invitation-to-tender’ window in the process to determine the host teams for the inaugural Women’s Cricket Super League has now closed.
Prospective hosts will be invited to interview in the coming weeks and it is anticipated that the awards for the Women’s Cricket Super League teams will be announced within the first two months of next year, following a rigorous assessment process and ECB Board approval.
An interview panel has been assembled for the next stage of the award process. This panel will include ECB Chief Executive, Tom Harrison, Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, as well as an independent member.
ECB Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “The momentum behind women’s cricket at the moment is hugely exciting and the decision to create this innovative, new competition has been justified by the response from the whole game.
“We now move into the next stage of the host award process and look forward to having a thorough look at the detail, ambition and opportunity within each of the bids. The range of bids received represents a good geographical spread and will, I am sure, make for a competitive final stage. There is still some way to go but we have ambitious timeframes between now and summer 2016.”
The Women’s Cricket Super League will start in the summer of 2016 as a Twenty20 (T20) event and thereafter will include both T20 and 50-over formats.
The key aims of the Women’s Cricket Super League include the development of ever higher standards for the England women’s team with greater competition for places, alongside inspiring more women and girls to play cricket at all levels, by offering new opportunities, a new narrative for the game and new role models, as well as a network of host clubs linked to their communities.
Report courtesy of the ECB
