ECB County Grant Fund 2024 - Please submit your Expressions of Interest now!

We are delighted to inform clubs about the launch of the 2024 ECB County Grants Fund providing clubs with the opportunity of applying for funding towards projects across themes including "Creating Welcoming Environments", "Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities" and "Tackling Climate Change".

What is the ECB County Grants Fund?

The County Grants Fund aims to support ECB affiliated Cricket Clubs across three themes:

  1. Creating Welcoming Environments:
    • open to ECB affiliated Cricket Clubs registered for All Stars or Dynamos in 2024, or actively involved with Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket. It is an expectation that any junior programme will include and actively engage with girls
  2. Providing Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket:
    • open to ECB affiliated Cricket Clubs actively engaged in competitive female only cricket and/or disability cricket.
  3. Tackling Climate Change:
    • open to any ECB affiliated Cricket Clubs.

History of ECB County Grant Fund in Wiltshire

Since the County Grant Fund launched in July 2021 Wiltshire Cricket, via the England and Wales Cricket Trust, has invested approximately £169,000 in to 23 different Cricket Club projects. Such projects have included:

  • Pavilion Social Spaces
  • Digital Point of Sale Equipment
  • Outdoor Net Facilities
  • Improved Toilet Facilities
  • Outdoor Social Spaces
  • Wifi improvements
  • Improved water efficiency
  • Improved Women’s changing facilities
  • Electric mowers

You can read more about some of those projects here

Details of the ECB County Grant Fund in 2024

In the same way as in 2023, clubs are now invited to submit expressions of interest for your preferred projects (see below for details on how to do this)

Firstly though, we urge all clubs to read through the attached 2024 County Grants Fund Guidance Document.

From the Guidance Notes, we would pick out and highlight a few key points as follows:

  • Make sure you qualify – please check you deliver the programmes relevant to apply in to project themes 1 and 2
  • Documentation – Page 3 of the Guidance notes outlines the documentation you will need to have in place if you got to the point of submitting a full application
  • Project Themes – As detailed above, there are three project themes. On pages 4 and 5 you will find an extensive list of the types of projects that qualify under each project theme
  • How often can a club apply - Clubs may apply for up to one grant per ECB budget year (which runs from 1 February - 31 January). Clubs will not be able to apply for a second grant within the same project theme for the same project before 2025 (i.e. if your club has successfully received a County Grant before, you can apply again providing its for a project in a different project theme)
  • Amount of Grant - Clubs can typically apply for between £1,000 (minimum) and £10,000 (maximum) per application
    • Please note a County Grant Fund cannot be used to fund a project retrospectively
    • Please note that whilst you may express an interest in a certain level of funding, Wiltshire Cricket has a finite budget that has been allocated by ECB and so may need to adjust the amount it can support certain projects (see below for details on our local process)

Wiltshire’s process for 2024 – Budget / Expression of Interest / Timeframes

Wiltshire Cricket has today emailed all affiliated cricket clubs with details of our County Grant Fund budget, 2024 timeframes and how to complete an expression of interest.

Timeframes: We would like to ask any clubs interested in a County Grant Fund in 2023 to complete their EOI by Friday 8th March 2024.

For more information on the County Grant Fund or the processes Wiltshire Cricket will be following, please contact Pete Sykes: