ECB Emergency Support for Clubs and Leagues

Clubs are now able to apply to two new funding schemes specifically designed to help see you through the challenging next few months as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Emergency Loan Scheme

The ECB Emergency Loan Scheme aims to support affiliated Cricket Clubs by providing interest free loans to assist clubs to cover any shortfall in essential day to day running and maintenance costs until normal recreational cricket activity can be resumed.

Clubs should apply here.

Return to Cricket Grant Scheme

The Return to Cricket Grant Scheme aims to provide affiliated cricket clubs and leagues (open-age and junior) with emergency assistance in exceptional circumstances.  Full eligibility criteria can be found in the Guidance Notes.  

Clubs and leagues can find out more information here.

How Wiltshire Cricket can help you

Emergency Loan Scheme

When a loan application is received through the ECB Investment Management System, we will be required to confirm that the club is affiliated to Wiltshire Cricket, and that the information provided is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Once we have validated the club's affiliation, the application will be progressed to the ECB Facilities Investment Team.

Return to Cricket Grant Scheme

Wiltshire Cricket will be the first point of call when applying to the grant scheme, providing eligible organisations with an Application Form. Once completed, organisations will submit their Application Form to their ECB Regional Facilities Planning Manager for review. Contact details for this person can be found in the Guidance Notes.

FAQs and Helpdesk

Frequency Asked Questions for both schemes can be found below:

Emergency Loan Scheme

Return to Cricket Grant Scheme

In addition, if clubs have any questions about either scheme, please contact the ECB Facilities Help Desk by emailing the relevant contact below:

Accessing other support

In addition to the ECB emergency support packages, both ECB and Wiltshire Cricket would strongly urge clubs to investigate all other support packages that are available to them. In particular, we would highlight:

  • Government initiatives - Business Rates holiday, Job Retention Scheme, VAT deferral, Statutory Sick Pay Rebate, Grant funding for rate-paying clubs, HMRC Time to Pay Scheme, Business Interruption Loan Scheme. We would particularly highlight:
    • Small Business Grant Fund - The government will provide additional Small Business Grant Scheme funding for local authorities to support small businesses, including cricket clubs that already pay little or no business rates because of small business rate relief (SBRR), rural rate relief (RRR) and tapered relief. This will provide a one-off grant of £10,000 to eligible cricket clubs to help meet their ongoing running costs and it is estimated across the country that 35% of cricket clubs will qualify for this grant
    • Job Retention Scheme
  • Sport England Community Emergency Fund - https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/our-funds/community-emergency-fund