Bids in.

[bwildered]

Essex have joined the list of counties hoping to run one of eight professional women's teams in 2025.

[Andy]

Essex Formels? Essex Hens?

[Oldhasbeen]

Essex Formels? Essex Hens?

Chelmsford Chicks?

[nat]

Essex Formels? Essex Hens?

Essex Escorts (named after the Ford car of the same name. Ahem).

[Andy]

Essex Formels? Essex Hens?

Chelmsford Chicks?

Going to have to send you back for re-education on that one? 

[dazedpenguin]

"Durham, Essex, Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and Lancashire have been put forward as "tier one" teams for ratification at an ECB board meeting on Wednesday with a formal announcement expected over the next couple of days".
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2024/04/17/yorkshire-snubbed-by-ecb-over-hosting-womens-cricket-side/

I can't access the whole article because it's behind a paywall, but that sounds like the Essex bid has been successful.

[bobw]

From the Telegraph article:

'In 2025, the eight county teams will replace the regions, which have been ECB-finded and competed in the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup and 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in recent years. The desire is to move the women?s domestic game from being a purely ?performance? product designed to produce players for the national team into a commercial entity that fans want to follow, by aligning it with established country brands from the men?s game. '

if counties are good enough for commercial women's cricket why do we have to put up with franchises in both men's and women's?

[nat]

From the Telegraph article:

'In 2025, the eight county teams will replace the regions, which have been ECB-finded and competed in the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup and 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in recent years. The desire is to move the women?s domestic game from being a purely ?performance? product designed to produce players for the national team into a commercial entity that fans want to follow, by aligning it with established country brands from the men?s game. '

if counties are good enough for commercial women's cricket why do we have to put up with franchises in both men's and women's?

Indeed so. There is no coherent strategy for the men's game. They hobble from season to season, tweaking competition rules here and there, introduce an unwanted competition rather than build upon the existing competitions. The ECB seem ashamed of the county game.

[SirChef26]

When taking into the account the bigger picture, this is probably the most positive off the field news that Essex have had for years. Do not underestimate just how important this is regarding Essex being part of the 'top tier of counties' in the future when the Non 100 counties get stabbed in the back. If you do not have a full time professional women's side, you will get left behind.

The ECB have clearly recognised the size of our catchment area, extending beyond Essex and into East London/Anglia and must see us as a county still with value moving forward assuming 11-12 survive. Yes it does feel like the ECB are throwing a bone to the three best supported counties without a 100 franchise, but Durham and Somerset will both have a franchise of their own within the next few years. That leaves us as the odd one out, which is solely due to Chelmsford not being fit for purpose.

I've been vocal regarding my fear for the future of the club as a top level professional club, but today's news offers a genuine chink of light. Now for the love of god, get a new ground sorted or Chelmsford radically redeveloped and we can still survive.

[JasonP]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/essex-focussed-on-future-proofing-after-being-awarded-tier-1-women-s-status-1429765

Couple of interesting points

Stephenson, however, believes that the ground's intimate nature will be a virtue in the short term as the club seeks to grow alongside the women's game, but in the longer term, he expects the announcement to kickstart their redevelopment plans. Consultation has already begun with local residents and Chelmsford City Council, with the aim of doubling the capacity to 10,000 by the time of the men's T20 World Cup in 2030.

In recent seasons, Essex's reputation had been clouded by allegations of historic racist abuse, which were upheld in December in a report by Katherine Newton KC, after the club had been fined ?50,000 by the ECB in 2023. But whereas Yorkshire's bid for Tier 1 women's status has been deferred until 2027, in part as a consequence of their own high-profile racism scandal, Stephenson said he felt the success of Essex's bid was a vindication of the action the club had taken to confront the mistakes of the past.

"It is pleasing that the ECB recognise that we have dealt with the situation that we were confronted with," he said. "I think they feel satisfied at the actions we've taken, and now we can focus absolutely on the future. Now the club is moving in a great direction, and that is particularly satisfying."

[bwildered]

When taking into the account the bigger picture, this is probably the most positive off the field news that Essex have had for years. Do not underestimate just how important this is regarding Essex being part of the 'top tier of counties' in the future when the Non 100 counties get stabbed in the back. If you do not have a full time professional women's side, you will get left behind.

The ECB have clearly recognised the size of our catchment area, extending beyond Essex and into East London/Anglia and must see us as a county still with value moving forward assuming 11-12 survive. Yes it does feel like the ECB are throwing a bone to the three best supported counties without a 100 franchise, but Durham and Somerset will both have a franchise of their own within the next few years. That leaves us as the odd one out, which is solely due to Chelmsford not being fit for purpose.

I've been vocal regarding my fear for the future of the club as a top level professional club, but today's news offers a genuine chink of light. Now for the love of god, get a new ground sorted or Chelmsford radically redeveloped and we can still survive.

 It will probably secure extra funding grants for future HQ development whether home or away from the current location.

[mawallace]

I wonder if Richard Gould was forced to make this comment after John's comments re the Yorkshire situtation!

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/richard-gould-ecb-chief-executive-yorkshire-tier-1-omission-not-punishment-for-past-sins-1429837

[Andy]

From the Telegraph article:

'In 2025, the eight county teams will replace the regions, which have been ECB-finded and competed in the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup and 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in recent years. The desire is to move the women?s domestic game from being a purely ?performance? product designed to produce players for the national team into a commercial entity that fans want to follow, by aligning it with established country brands from the men?s game. '

if counties are good enough for commercial women's cricket why do we have to put up with franchises in both men's and women's?

Indeed so. There is no coherent strategy for the men's game. They hobble from season to season, tweaking competition rules here and there, introduce an unwanted competition rather than build upon the existing competitions. The ECB seem ashamed of the county game.

There?s no strategy apart from destroying county cricket?makes you wonder who is really behind all of this?

[SirChef26]

Some more meat on the bones regarding plans for the Women's team. It's paywalled but the most notable bit of information from the article is that McGrath is set to coach both the Essex men and women's teams next season.

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/county-cricket-premium/there_wont_be_much_left_essex_hope_collaborative_approach_maximise_increased_tier-one_funding.html?t=638494877705020723

Personally, I see that as a mistake. This is not some pop up franchise gig that lasts for a month. It's two full time professional sides competing over a six-month season. There is no way McGrath is going to have enough time to balance both jobs and it will only be to the detriment of each team having his time split up. What happens if the schedules overlap and both teams are playing at the same time (which they surely will be)?

A full time women's head coach needs to be employed by the club. What about the Essex player who did a good job coaching in the Pakistan Super League this year?

[nat]

"...McGrath is set to coach both the Essex men and women's teams next season..."

He won't.