No Fees Will Be Charged For Staging Matches For Four Months
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced an aid package of 60 million pounds to counter the economic impact the coronavirus has caused.
The start of the English cricket season has been delayed until at least May 28th on the country’s government advice in the wake of the corona pandemic.
The ECB has decided to immediately release 40 million pounds in between May and July and give it to First-Class Counties (FCCs) and their County Cricket Boards, the ECB said in a statement.
The amount will be available through ways that include; the immediate availability of two years’ facilities maintenance distribution, and suspension of international staging fees for four months and waiving of international staging fees payable in 2020 if the match is not played as scheduled due to COVID-19.
An additional budget of just over £20m will be available to the recreational game through a cricket club support loan scheme, grants through the “Return to Cricket” scheme and a 12-month holiday on loan repayments for recreational clubs.
ECB CEO: Swift And Immediate Support Is Required
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison stated that the board understands the challenging times and decided to act swiftly to support all those related to the game.
He said,” We would like to thank everyone within the cricket network who is working tirelessly to protect the game during this period of uncertainty.
He also said,” We understand these are challenging times and it has been our priority to provide swift and immediate support to all members of the cricket family at every level in England and Wales.”
“We are fully aware that the situation with COVID-19 will continue to develop, and it will be months before the full financial fallout is made clear. We will continue to work with all of our partners to protect the ongoing health of the entire game in the short term and beyond,” he added.
