Covid 19 Update from the ECB

Following on from the CCB call on Wednesday, available here for those that missed it, we are gathering feedback on the operational plan for the game. If you have not had a chance to feedback on the plan and the expectations of CCBs document please contact your head of region.

Thanks to all that encouraged clubs to complete to the recent ECB survey. The answers have provided valuable insights into what ECB should be doing to support Counties, Clubs and Leagues.

Across the survey, containing responses from over 1000 clubs, we are clear that Finance and Players are the biggest concerns with Grounds and Pitches not far behind.

With the Finance Support package in place we are turning our attention to Players and Grounds over the next few weeks and we will share more details soon.

The Hundred Update

The England and Wales Cricket Board today confirmed that the launch of The Hundred will now take place in summer 2021. The news follows a meeting dedicated to the subject, where the Board concluded it was not possible for the competition to be staged this year. Read more here.

ECB League Emergency Loan Scheme

Following the update on yesterday’s call, next week we’ll be announcing the third ECB Emergency Support Programme in response to COVID-19: the League Emergency Loan Scheme.

Middle of next week: The ECB will share guidance notes, assets, loan application link and an Initial Information Form.  This will be under strict embargo until the scheme is officially announced to leagues. 

End of next week: The ECB will announce details to leagues and the scheme will be open for applications

elearning portal 

The ECB’s portal of online learning resources is now available for sign ups and we hope will be a valuable tool to be used across the game by all, including furloughed staff. To access the portal please make sure you have completed the spreadsheet of staff details circulated by your Head of Region and returned it to ECB. Staff details will then be entered into the system and they will be sent log in details.

The ECB’s People Team would like to hear suggestions on potential content to be added to the system so if you have feedback please contact us here.

In related news, the Government has also launched an online skills toolkit aimed at furloughed staff. It’s essentially a mix of training aimed at upskilling people in digital tech. It ranges from very basic skills getting people online to advanced courses including learning Python coding. 

Some modules are bite sized and some are several hours for a number of weeks. More information is available here.

Online Umpire and Scoring Courses

ECB Association of Cricket Officials has created a range of free online courses for aspiring umpires and scorers. The courses are a great way for people to use the current downtime to learn a new skill or brush up on their knowledge.

Basics of Umpiring – This course is aimed at umpires who simply want to learn the fundamental laws and basic field craft and those players who umpire 5 or 10 overs at the weekend. Book now here.

Umpire Stage One – This course is designed to give an overview of the basic Laws of the game as well as providing information on how to apply them and introduce the principles of field craft and match management. This course is an ideal introduction for new club umpires, a refresher for existing umpires and the first step for those who aspire to umpire at higher levels. Book now here.

Basics of Scoring – This course is designed to provide all the skills needed to start scoring. The course covers the basics of scoring a game of cricket such as scoring symbols, umpire signals, dismissals and gives a helpful overview of the laws of the game. Book now here.

Where possible we would encourage you to advertise these courses on your county board website and promote through your social media channels using the registration links provided.

If you have any queries, please contact Karen Cassidy or Martin Gentle. Alternatively please contact our generic email address here.

National Progammes Update 

The safety and wellbeing of all people involved in cricket is our absolute priority and so whilst we continue to work through solutions, All Stars and Dynamos Cricket remain suspended for the time being in line with government guidance.  We will do everything we can to run programmes later in the year should the government guidance allow us to do so and we will remain in touch with any updates as and when they are available. If the situation means we are unable to reschedule programmes for a later date, we will ensure that refunds or credits are available for participants.

We know that cricket can play a huge part in supporting physical and mental wellbeing of children around the country and we are continuing to explore ways that we can bring cricket to homes through indoor games, challenges, and digital content.  Some of this you may have already seen via our All Stars Cricket activity booklet, our All Stars Cricket garden games, and keep an eye out for the Dynamos Cricket app, and educational content coming your way shortly.

Our aim is to do what’s best for our community throughout this unusual period and appreciate your support to do the same. This is new territory for all of us, and we appreciate your patience during this time.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our help desk.

Your Questions

A reminder that the COVID-19 FAQ list can be accessed here. We will be regularly updating this list so please continue to check back, and feed in your questions via your Head of Region