Update on ECB County Grants Fund in Wiltshire

We are pleased to provide an update on the level of support issued through the ECB County Grants Fund in 2021 and how clubs can apply for funding to support projects in 2022.

What is the County Grants Fund?

Attached here are the full guidance notes for the County Grants Fund, including processes, levels of funding available and eligibility criteria.

The fund has three themes:

  • Creating Welcoming Environments
  • Providing Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket
  • Tackling Climate Change

 You can read a lot more information about these three themes within the attached guidance notes above.

Creating Welcoming Environments:

Creating Welcoming Environments Guide

Launched at a similar time to the County Grants Fund was the ECB’s new resource entitled ‘Creating Welcoming Environments’. The guide has been developed to support the range of ECB initiatives aimed at making cricket a game for everyone. This comes as we strive to increase the number of people playing cricket recreationally through a strong, sustainable and inclusive club network which ensures that everyone is made to feel welcome and an integral part of the club cricket landscape. The Creating Welcoming Environments document is intended to provide guidance for cricket clubs to help make cricket facilities more inclusive and welcoming to all, thus creating better environments for everyone using them and encouraging a more diverse range of people to join cricket clubs and to get involved in the game at a recreational level. Club facilities are an important factor in ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, faith or disability, feels comfortable within the club environment.

Within the guide there is help for cricket clubs to examine their existing facilities and identify areas where improvement works could make a difference to how welcome different users feel within the club. It also supports funders and designers throughout the process of identifying improvement works aimed at removing barriers to participation in cricket and helping everyone feel more welcome.

The County Grants Fund in Wiltshire so far

  • When the County Grants Fund was launched in 2021, Wiltshire Cricket was given an initial budget of £72,000 to be spent by the end of 2022 (but with an aspiration for projects to impact the 2022 season). With this in mind, Wiltshire Cricket has completed a first round of applications and grant awards. So far we have been very pleased to commit a total of £57,760 across 8 different projects, with a split across project themes as follows:
    • Theme 1 – Creating Welcoming Environments – 5 projects supported totalling investment of £28,760
    • Theme 2 – Providing Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities – 2 projects supported totalling investment of £20,000
    • Theme 3 – Tackling Climate Change – 1 project supported totalling investment of £9,000
  • We have recently received confirmation from ECB that our budget has been topped up by a further £33,000 (to be spent by end of 2022). This coupled with the remaining budget from our initial allocation means we now have a remaining County Grants Fund budget of £47,240.

County Grants Fund Round 2 – Available funding and processes

With an updated remaining budget of £47,240 Wiltshire Cricket is now keen to progress our next round of applications and would like to invite clubs to make contact with us to discuss any potential projects in more detail.

Whilst this budget has a deadline of end of 2022 to be spent, we are aware through existing correspondence with clubs that many are already in a position to submit projects and applications. We at Wiltshire Cricket are also keen to support worthy applications as quickly as possible so that they can begin to have impact and benefit within those clubs.

Clubs have today (10th March 2022) been emailed (via Club Secretaries and Club Chairs) with detailed information on how to make contact with Wiltshire Cricket and what information we would like to receive in order to progress your project in this latest round of funding.

We are asking for clubs to make contact with this information by Friday 8th April 2022. To discuss anything related to the County Grants Fund please contact Pete Sykes: