Following the meeting of Chairmen and Chief Executives of all first-class counties, the MCC and the PCA at Lord’s, a new approach for a new eight team Twenty20 competition was agreed.
The Club held a Members Information Evening on Monday 19 September in the Pattonair Members Lounge in the 3aaa Pavilion to provide full details on the proposed competition and take any questions from the Membership.
This FAQ sheet is a summary of the information provided to Members.
What has been agreed following the England & Wales Cricket Board’s review of the domestic Twenty20 competition?
At this stage, the first class counties have only agreed to give the ECB a mandate to develop a future programme of two thriving Twenty20 competitions – a new eight team tournament to be staged in addition to the existing NatWest T20 Blast – and identify the best way forward with this.
This mandate would include entering into discussions with broadcasters to secure the next TV deal.
The NatWest T20 Blast will remain as a vibrant 18 county Twenty20 competition aimed at existing cricket fans.
The new eight team competition will be aimed at a diverse family audience. The new teams will controlled by the ECB and will compete in a short block at the height of summer.
The agreed approach is built on the game-wide strategy – Cricket Unleashed – and has been developed to broaden cricket’s appeal, provide greater financial stability for all 18 First Class Counties and ensure that each continues to compete in all three formats of the game.
There’s still a lot of detail that needs to be confirmed, including venues, names, dates, number of overseas players, squad sizes and player selections.
Why has this new Twenty20 competition been proposed?
Research conducted by the ECB showed that participation has fallen by 10% in the last three years and only 2% of kids between the ages of 7 and 15 rate cricket as their favourite sport. Only 7% had cricket in their top two sports.
Of the 9.4million people in this country that see themselves as cricket followers, less than a million attend games at present.
The ECB believe it is crucial that much more is done to unlock the other 8.5million.
They presented strong evidence that this can be done by creating a fresh new eight-team Twenty20 competition to run in tandem with the existing NatWest T20 Blast, but aimed at a new family audience.
Overall, the ECB believe it will get more people in England and Wales watching and playing cricket, while creating a product that is more commercially attractive which will establish a fresh stream of revenue into the game.
How can this new Twenty20 competition benefit first-class counties such as Derbyshire?
All ticket sales will go into a central pot and we will be fighting hard to ensure all counties equally share all revenues that are competition-generated.
Detailed financial modelling has been undertaken and the advent of a new Twenty20 competition, alongside a slightly condensed NatWest T20 Blast will, according to the ECB, bring in a guaranteed £1.35million per year for each county from a new broadcast deal.
There’s still a lot of detail that needs to be confirmed, but this would be transformational in terms of the county’s financial stability.
The increased revenue will allow Derbyshire to increase its investment in the playing squad for the Specsavers County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup and NatWest T20 Blast; closing the gap on other counties, as long as the salary cap remains the same.
It will also allow the county to continue its investment in facilities, improving the matchday experience for Members and spectators.
Which venues will host the new eight teams?
Host venues for the new eight teams have not been decided yet. Test grounds are favourite to be selected, but there is more than eight Test grounds.
How will players be selected for the new eight teams?
Details regarding how players will be selected from counties, the number of overseas players and squad sizes have not been confirmed.
A draft system or using the current PCA MVP ranking system have been discussed.
Details about the selection of coaches for the new competition also needs to be confirmed.
Who will own these new teams and who will keep the revenue generated from the new competition?
It is proposed that the new teams will be centrally operated and owned by the ECB, and all 18 first-class counties will be shareholders. All revenue will then be shared equally.
Detailed financial modelling has been undertaken and the advent of a new Twenty20 competition, according to the ECB, will bring in a guaranteed £1.35million per year for each county.
The implications on the current salary cap still need to be confirmed.
Will there still be a NatWest T20 Blast competition?
One of the non-negotiables from the non-Test ground counties was that there had to be a competition on the same lines as the current NatWest T20 Blast.
It might be reduced to ten games a side – five home, five away in the group stage – but the counties were adamant that there had to be something where any one of the existing 18 first-class counties could get to Finals Day.
This will still have to offer a guaranteed national televised audience, as it is at present, with the same resources being thrown into it.
The NatWest T20 Blast will most likely take place earlier in the season, with the new Twenty20 competition taking place during the summer school holidays.
Will Derbyshire still compete in all three domestic competitions; NatWest T20 Blast, Royal London One-Day Cup and Specsavers County Championship?
Yes, Derbyshire will continue to compete in all three domestic competitions.
Which year will the new Twenty20 competition be introduced?
The new eight-team Twenty20 competition could be introduced as early as 2018, within the existing broadcasting deal with Sky Sports.
The main issue of launching it early is its impact on future tours, which are scheduled well in advance. We need the England players involved, so that needs to be factored in.
Regarding dates for the two competitions, the details for this still need to be confirmed but the intention is for one to follow the other, although another option, suggested among the counties, would be to play the two halves of the Blast either side of the new competition.
How will the new competition reach a wider audience and attract more families and children to play and follow the game?
Participation has fallen by 10% in the last three years and only 2% of kids between the ages of 7 and 15 rate cricket as their favourite sport.
Of the 9.4million people in this Country that see themselves as cricket followers, less than a million attend games at present.
The ECB believe a new eight-team T20 competition, with increased coverage including terrestrial TV, and an enhanced brand will unlock the other 8.5million.
If the new competition is successful, and as more people become exposed to the sport, the game will then have to also find new players and places for them to play, together with new formats of the game with special rules to further encourage recreational participation.
Will this new competition have a negative effect on the commercial income Derbyshire currently generates?
Detailed financial modelling suggests that the new competition would not have a negative impact on existing Derbyshire revenue.
According to the ECB, a new eight-team Twenty20 competition will bring in a guaranteed £1.35million per year for each county.
It is understood that Derbyshire will continue to host big NatWest T20 Blast fixtures, including local derbies versus Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, and maintain national television coverage, which allows the Club to attract and retain major sponsors.
The new competition will also help ensure retention of better players.
What are the next steps?
Following a vote of all first-class counties, the ECB have been asked to put more work into developing the proposal for a two competition structure, with a new eight-team competition co-existing with the NatWest T20 Blast.
There’s still a lot of detail that needs to be confirmed, a lot of thinking and work to be done
We hope Members and supporters will understand what we are trying to achieve and why, together with the mandate to continue to investigate this, while also at the same time recognising their concerns and taking them to the ECB.
Opinions offered will help us to make it into a robust competition that might just make a difference to the financial set up in the county game.
Details will continue to be developed in consultation with the first-class counties, ECB, PCA and wider stakeholders in the game with the proposal to be formally considered by the ECB Board in October.
The Club will release further information to our Members and supporters as it becomes available.
