ECB Announce England Women’s Team Join PCA

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced that England women’s team have joined  the Professional Cricketers Association in a historic agreement.

The nation’s women’s team have risen to the forefront of women’s international cricket over the past decade, aided initially by lottery funding to allow the players to edge closer to being ‘full-time’ athletes, and latterly ECB training grants and England Women Coaching Ambassador contracts through The Cricket Foundation.

Greater off-pitch support for the players played a role in the team winning the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2009 and lifting the inaugural ICC Women’s World Twenty20 trophy later that year.

Clare Connor, Head of England Women’s Cricket for the ECB, said: “Joining the PCA takes the England Women’s game further towards a professional era. ECB do everything they can to support players to be the best they can on the pitch, and PCA membership will only help that process. Huge credit must go to PCA CEO Angus Porter, who has been tremendously supportive.”

Porter added: “The PCA looks after the interests of all professional cricketers. The England women are highly professional and very successful and it’s absolutely right that we should embrace them into our organisation.”