The Hundred competition will kick off on August 5th, beginning its fifth year since launching. As the sport prepares for another season, a new report illuminates some deep financial inequalities. Counties that are home to a Hundred franchise receive competitive benefits over counties that don’t host a franchise. It is this gap that has many questioning the long-term sustainability of the county cricket model.
In 2023, the three most populous counties of Surrey, Lancashire, and Warwickshire combined produced 44% of all revenue for the 18 first-class counties. This wealth concentration underscores the deep distress left for so many counties. This is, perhaps, most true for those that don’t have a Hundred franchise to their name. The report reinforces why we need a new, sustainable model for county cricket. This idea is enthusiastically underscored by Michael Vaughan, former England captain and foreword author for the report.
Vaughan continued by encouraging the first-class counties to work together to ensure that they could all enjoy a fair future. He continued, “The Hundred money allows those 18 first-class counties to give themselves a future. They can start thinking about growth rather than simply existing summer to summer.” He really wants counties to be transparent with one another, sharing what works and what best practices have developed. Specifically, he knows that today’s political rivalries make progress dangerous to widen.
Jonathan Dyson and Professor Rob Wilson, the report’s primary authors, call on investors to pursue strategies that offer sustained medium-term relief. They focus on the urgency to simultaneously construct needed infrastructure. As Professor Wilson explained, “This report should raise doubts about the long-term ability of the county model to exist. He also pointed out that cricket in England and Wales is overly reliant on central distributions and TV rights. Moreover, international fixtures are often restricted to no more than half a dozen Test venues.
An even more important financial development may be just over the horizon. The sale of equity in the eight hundred remaining franchises is expected to raise between £520 million and £580 million. This new revenue would be spread throughout the county’s game, giving everyone a chance to compete and making the financial playing field less lopsided. Still, some worry whether these dollars will be put to use the right way in every county.
The report further calls for The Hundred to have a key role in developing disability cricket. Their legislative proposal aims to secure funding for children and adults to have greater access to play disability cricket. That’s something Iain Nairn MBE, former captain of the England Physical Disability team, hopes will be the case. Nairn stressed the need to link disability cricket to The Hundred. This connection will bring even more players, fans and volunteers to the emerging sport as it continues to develop. He reiterated that the ECB needs to ensure every county provides pathways for disabled cricketers to engage at both community and professional levels. He thinks that The Hundred is an excellent format to help pique that interest.
As The Hundred prepares for its third season, this report shines new light on the key findings. Most importantly, it signals the potential and perils that cricket’s custodians will need to address. This multi-disciplinary format, if successful, has the potential to attract new audiences. It equally has to foster a climate in which all 120 counties prosper, and in doing so, prosper equally.
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