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English Premier League
England ponders six-region option
Cricinfo staff
April 25, 2008
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If England is to create a viable Twenty20 competition to rival the Indian Premier League, then the 18 first-class counties are going to have to bite the bullet and merge into six regional sides. That is the message from Sean Morris, the new chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, who believes that without adaptation, English cricket faces being second-best to India for evermore.
"This is a great opportunity for English cricket, an unbelievable chance for England to reassert itself," Morris told The Guardian. "I just hope we take it. India, a big competitor, has got first to the market. Considering that we invented Twenty20, they should not have got there first. It is important that we act quickly."
Morris's proposal is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the England & Wales Cricket Board on May 26, but plans are already in full swing following a week of talks with Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire whose patronage has given English cricket renewed confidence as it seeks to respond to the threat of the IPL. Stanford told the BBC on Thursday that he believed that England was not only better placed to take the lead in Twenty20 cricket, but that the game could eventually overtake football as the world's most popular sport.
Should the regional plan come to fruition, there could be some enticing amalgamations on the cards. Lancashire and Yorkshire could be thrown in together with Durham as a Northern region, with Surrey, Middlesex and Essex all uniting under the London banner. Such a proposal may be anathema to the die-hard fans of the counties involved, but Morris cited the example of South African rugby, where traditional Currie Cup rivals have combined to form potent Super 14 franchises.
"This is the biggest opportunity we will ever get to restructure," said Morris. His argument is that, without reducing the number of competing sides, the talent on display would be spread too thinly, and the prospect of attracting the big-name players would diminish. "When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up? We need to have a product that is exportable back to India, because that is where the money is."
Stanford is willing to invest heavily in the scheme, but has effectively set the ECB a deadline of 2010 to get the competition up and running. "If I was to make a more aggressive bet I would say 2009. But no later than 2010 or they've missed the boat," he told BBC Sport. "We all know that and I don't think the British are going to miss the boat."
Potential regional sides
North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham
London Surrey, Middlesex, Essex
South Hampshire, Kent, Sussex
Wales and West Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset
West Midlands Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Northants
East Midlands Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire
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Yorks and Lancs merging, what an unworkable idea! I can't wait to see the empty stands ! And they are big enough not to need to merge with Durham for 'the North'. Surrey can be the team of the South and with Middlesex one of two London/home counties teams. The other two let's copy Austate-style state greEdy big MaCB franchises would be based at Notts and Warks. You live in a smaller, more remote county, tough this is how minor counties have always lived ! But seriously, as one reader has commented most of the 18 counties sell out for T20 anyway so let's all hope it never happens and I'm confident it won't-the IPL made a fatal mistake selling razzmatazz and cheerleaders, not cricket (but then it is so clearly a get rich quick fad which everyone's falling for). A warm no-washout June and regaining the Ashes immediately is what will sustain us!
Posted by Harvey on (April 26 2008, 13:52 PM GMT)The ECB should beware both of Stanford's poisoned chalice, and of trying to follow the IPL route. The main reason the launch of the IPL has been so successful is that it has brought international stars into the Indian domestic game for the first time. In England we've had such stars for years. An EPL would have less (rather than more) appeal than the current Twenty20 Cup, because it would eliminate traditional local rivalries that give some Twenty20 Cup fixtures an edge, and also make it harder for supporters to get to games. What seems to have been forgotten is that many cricket fans don't even like Twenty20, and even most of those who do don't want to see it undermining Test cricket. If Twenty20 cricket is in such massive demand here, how do the ECB explain the fact that there are still plenty of tickets available for both Twenty20 internationals this Summer, months after they first went on sale? That's despite many days of Test and ODI cricket being sold out.
Posted by Patrick_Clarke on (April 26 2008, 12:56 PM GMT)One big problem with calling a franchise based at the Rosebowl Southampton is that more than half of existing and potential Hampshire cricket supporters, including me as a Portsmouth supporter, will not support any team called Southampton.
Posted by Nathan_a on (April 26 2008, 08:39 AM GMT)ECB should stop moaning and start acting. Spectators would be interested only when two equal sides of high quality play with each other. If Kenya were to play Australia, unless it is an upset that happens once in a blue moon,Australia is bound to win. Why would a spectator be interested? Instead of merging the counties, they should act like IPL, by creating six county independent franchises - for ex London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds , Southampton,Nottingham. This ofcourse would put county cricket in jeopardy. But with just handful of people watching ECB can put it into further jeopardy. Let us not forget, cricket was popular only in cities up until 1990's. But with cable TV and good management by the BCCI, cricket reached its current position. ECB by taking away cricket from the public TV for the sake has dealt with a killer blow,,for the sake of few millions. Any excellent idea has to be managed well and implemented properly for success. BCCI has done it- can ECB do it?
Posted by warringtonian on (April 26 2008, 06:23 AM GMT)I don't see the point of this when most counties get close to capacity crowds for their 20/20 matches. Regional based teams simply won't work in this country as most people have a stronger affiliation to their town/city rather than area. If the ECB want to make as money as possible, they should create and sell city based franchises, otherwise somebody else will. Games could be played at existing county grounds. This ensures the counties will get a large slice of cash without the risk. Play the competition over a few months by getting rid of the pointless Pro40. Counties can concentrate on the getting the best of the English players for test cricket through the county championship. Everyone's a Winner!
Posted by Rahul-Indian on (April 26 2008, 05:29 AM GMT)Its absolutely ridiculous that ECB has decided to launch a rival league to counter the IPL. I mean...they are absolutely no match to India. The BCCI is the richest cricket board across the globe. No other cricket board even comes close to it. Sean Morris is screwing himself up. The BCCI officials are a bunch of smart blokes. They will certainly wait and see how the so-called EPL works and then they'll buy or make a lucrative deal with Stanford probably saying that they could help the Carribeans more than what England can...which is also true as they have the money and then the ECB will be no-where. Instead the ECB should try to join hands with the BCCI. After all the intention is the same...to popularize cricket. So...why the bloody EGO. In 2009, Sharad Pawar and IS Bindra would be occupying two of the most prestigious and powerful positions in the ICC. Then What???? India is bound to receive all the support. Going against India would be fool-hardy.
Posted by Biswadeep1987 on (April 26 2008, 04:15 AM GMT)I'm an Indian, and i have enjoyed following the county matches since my childhood. Why would you wanna spoil such a strong domestic structure?? Are the ECB so rattled by the IPL? There'll be an EPL now may be, even Pakistan has plans of bringing out its own Premier league. What'll happen to country vs country cricket then? The most feasible solution would be, all the other cricket boards earning through the players i.e. out of the millions of dollars each one of them is being offered in IPL, a fraction should be handed over to their respective boards. No one loses out that way. And moreover, i think a basic idea that needs to be understood by other boards, is that its not money, but a CRICKET FANATIC nation of 1.1 billion is what u need to float something like the IPL.
Posted by jbenja on (April 26 2008, 04:10 AM GMT)Sooo stupid... Why do these guys feel so insecure? IPL was never started to compete with anyone or destroy anybody... Why then talk of competing or pulling down IPL... These English guys have such a sick attitude and do not like any one getting bigger than the. Still think they are in the times of colonial rule. C'moon guys wakeup, its the 21st century and India is a powerhouse now.. Even the US and other countries have accepted India and China as the next super powers... Dont be surprised if all ur companies and institutions get swallowed by Indian companies soon... We love English football and we are fans of it... And remember u guys will come to us (India and China) for funding ur football league... But that day we wont sulk and think about starting our won league
Posted by hermithead on (April 26 2008, 03:43 AM GMT)I agree. How can they eliminate traditional cricketing rivalries? as well as not capitalise on the existing football rivalries? It is worth noting that the two Curre Cup rugby provinces, Free State Cheetahs and the Golden Lions pulled resources to form a Super 12 Franchise called the Cats which was an absolute failure and ceased to exist once the S12 expanded to the Super 14. (And if you look at SA's S14 sides now they have pretty much reverted back to their traditional big 5 rugby provinces). Plus why only 6 teams? Aus has a population of 20M and supports 6 teams, England should manage at least 8. This should also be an opportunity to incorporate a Scottish, Irish and possibly a Dutch side ie expansion, though the ECB have to much too think about right now. My two cents: London North, London West, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Midlands, West/Wales.
Posted by Branna on (April 26 2008, 02:11 AM GMT)All these people who have commented that England already have a good 20/20 competition have missed the boat. I agree its a good competition and grounds are packed, however it can't compete with the IPL. The issue here is that English players will be drawn away from county and international cricket to play in the Indian leagues so England need a solution that will prevent this. Too many teams means that the money in the game in England has to be distributed among more teams so each team can spend less on players, and therfore won't be able to attract as many big name internationals as the IPL can. Generous entrepreneurs like Allan Stanford also don't come around too often. Opportunities have to be grabbed and Stanfords cricket ventures proved a success in the Carribean. His sporting ventures in the USA have also been successful. I also agree with him, that cricket has the potential to overtake football as the worlds most popular sport - not somthing you'd expect to hear from an American