The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the selection of eight Tier 1 counties to host professional women's teams in a revamped domestic structure starting from 2025. Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire will be running these teams. Yorkshire and Middlesex express disappointment after being overlooked in the initial selection. The ECB denies any punitive actions towards Yorkshire and defends its decision not to award them a top-tier women's team until 2027.
BREAKING: The Championship will expand to 14 teams in the 2025/26 season. The aspiration is that the league will then expand to 16 teams further down the line. The hope is to create a league that develops young English talent and support clubs to become financially sustainable. https://t.co/Rxrqq18if7
Council approved process for existing Championship clubs to validate and evidence their ability to meet the “essential” minimum operating standards, and other matters, to participate in the new Tier 2 league, which will ultimately be decided by the Tier 2 Management Board.
Season 2024-25 will be a Championship of 12 clubs, comprising the 11 existing Championship clubs and the winner of National One (Chinnor RFC).
League size and competition structure options – the RFU Council approved the principle that Tier 2 will comprise 14 clubs for season 2025-26. @Champrugby
The 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy gets underway on Saturday 🏆 Get up to speed with all the key winter moves and players to watch this summer with our team-by-team guide ⬇️
ECB ‘not punishing Yorkshire for past sins’ after women’s snub Chief executive Richard Gould defends decision not to award Yorkshire a top-tier women’s professional team until 2027, as county express ‘surprise and disappointment’ Tap for full story⬇️ https://t.co/tgq9SBbCMU
"To say we are disappointed is a huge understatement." Middlesex respond to surprising ECB snub over Tier 1 women’s team as Surrey and Essex preferred ✍️ @MalikOuzia_ https://t.co/s1JkjG6Q9q
ECB denies Yorkshire ‘punished for past sins’ with women’s county team snub https://t.co/HypSziTlnh
ICYMI: Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire will run professional women's teams in a revamped domestic structure from 2025 https://t.co/QaHRTZ1Vap
Yorkshire have been left “surprised and disappointed” after being overlooked by the England and Wales Cricket Board in the initial ‘tier one’ revamp of the women’s game ✍️ @thervd https://t.co/cE9qrYhecC
The ECB has announced the eight counties who will compete in a new top-level professional women's competition from 2025 👉 https://t.co/QaHRTZ1nkR https://t.co/3vzr6CcpPA
The ECB has announced the eight counties who compete in a new top-level professional women's competition from 2025 👉 https://t.co/QaHRTZ1nkR https://t.co/MdjO1MeFq8
Eight Tier 1 Counties confirmed for 2025 and plans unveiled for four more women’s professional domestic teams by 2029.
Surrey awarded new elite women's team but Middlesex miss out ✍️ @MalikOuzia_ https://t.co/uKmLeSDgpD
BREAKING: @EssexCricket has successfully bid to form a Tier One professional women’s team from the 2025 season. @EssexWomen https://t.co/ty1Ypi1V65
🔵🟡🏏Women’s professional cricket is coming to Durham! @DurhamCricket have been awarded a Tier 1 professional women’s team from next year. Read more: https://t.co/IU3KTPmg7I #bbccricket https://t.co/iWQEptRHN7
Durham selected ahead of Yorkshire to host professional women’s county team https://t.co/kdHEMg1xPr