ECB to establish three-tiered competition to boost women's game.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced plans to increase investment, create a three-tiered competition, and implement a new ownership model in order to help women's professional cricket reach its full potential.

The existing eight women's regional teams will be transformed into 'Tier 1 clubs,' with each owned, governed, and operated by a specific First Class County (FCC) or the Marylebone Cricket Club.

According to the ECB, the clubs will compete at the top level of an expanded women's domestic structure beginning with the 2025 season.

According to ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould, while the professionalism of the women's game has improved significantly, it is still "scratching the surface" of its potential.

"To continue moving forward, and to make cricket a gender-balanced sport, we need a change in the ownership model and governance structure underpinning the women's professional game."

The new ownership structure would "elevate the status of women's domestic cricket to enable it to go further, grow faster, and reach its full potential," he said.

The governing body also announced that it would invest an additional 4 million to 5 million pounds per year in women's professional cricket from 2025 to 2028, bringing its total annual investment to 16 million pounds ($20 million).

SportsLigue