Cricket clubs and leagues can now apply to two funding schemes designed to help them through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic according to an announcement on 17 April by the ECB. The Emergency Loan Scheme and the Return to Cricket Scheme form part of a £61m package announced on 31 March designed to assist the sport – both recreationally and professionally – through an unprecedented summer and beyond. Director of Participation & Growth, Nick Pryde, said: "This is a very difficult time for our sport and for everyone involved in the recreational game across England and Wales. ECB understands the concerns of everyone involved in cricket and we want to be able to support. We hope that these Emergency Support Measures will be beneficial to you and your club.”
The Emergency Loan Scheme aims to provide funding to clubs to cover shortfalls in cash flow that might otherwise hinder the essential day-to-day running and maintenance of the club until recreational cricket can resume; its suspension was advised until further notice on March 18. Any club affiliated to their county cricket board in 2019 or 2020 can apply for the Emergency Loan Scheme, with applications considered for shortfall periods of up to 12 months. Utility costs, rental charges, employee costs (not coaches or players), cleaning, technology licences, security, insurance, equipment orders that can be neither deferred nor recovered and television or broadband subscriptions are all claimable costs under the scheme. Clubs with a junior section – including the ECB’s All Stars and Dynamos initiatives – can apply for anywhere between £1,000 and £5,000, with clubs with only an adult section entitled to request between £1,000 and £3,000.
The Return to Cricket Grant Scheme will provide assistance in exceptional circumstances, where other financial support is unavailable or inappropriate. The Return to Cricket Grant Scheme can be applied for by clubs prevented by their own constitutions from taking out an emergency loan or that have an annual turnover of under £15,000, while leagues can also apply. Clubs with just an adult section can apply for up to £1,000, while those with a junior section can request up to £3,000. Leagues, open-age or junior, can ask for up to £2,000.
Full information on both the Emergency Loan Scheme and the Return To Cricket Grant Scheme can be found via the ECB website.
Brian Sturgess
