ECB consider 'de-coupling' Women's Hundred in bid for standalone sell-outs

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, has set a target to sell out a women's match in the Hundred as the governing body contemplates "de-coupling" some of the tournament's double-headers.

The Hundred's existing double-header model sees midweek women's fixtures played during working hours, with tickets valid for both games on a single day. There are no plans to increase the Hundred's 27-day window, but some double-headers could be split across two separate days in future seasons to maximise revenue from ticket sales.

The Hundred launched with a standalone women's match between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals in 2021, with the men's match played the following night. It has operated with a double-header model ever since, and every matchday this season will see a women's fixture followed by the same men's fixture at the same venue.

"The double-headers have been working well," Gould, the ECB's chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. "At some point, we would like to try and find a way that we can have standalone fixtures, perhaps, for men and women. Getting to a capacity crowd for a women's Hundred fixture at some point in the next couple of years has to be a target for us.

"The window is fixed, a 27-day, exclusive window… Within that window, if you get to the point where you can de-couple games, it's really demonstrating the commercial growth of the women's game, into which we're investing a huge amount at the ECB. That's definitely a potential target."

The double-header model was initially the result of logistical problems posed by the Covid pandemic, with the majority of women's fixtures originally slated for smaller county grounds. However, it has proved successful across the Hundred's first four years, with a record total attendance of 320,000 at women's matches last season.

Splitting double-headers into separate matchdays without expanding the duration would create some scheduling complications. "We need to work through that, but that may be a thing depending on what the broadcaster wants and what days we're playing on," Gould said. "If you can have eight sell-outs, rather than four…"

Ticket sales for women's cricket in England and Wales have surged in recent years. England's women have attracted total attendances in excess of 100,000 for the past two home summers, and next year's T20 World Cup will be played at major international venues including Lord's, The Oval, Edgbaston and Emirates Old Trafford.

That growth reflects a similar trend in other sports. Arsenal's women attracted an average attendance of nearly 30,000 in the Women's Super League this year and will play all their home fixtures at the Emirates Stadium next season, while the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup in England will break attendance records.

Gould also confirmed that the ECB intend to create "the cleanest windows we possibly can" for the Hundred in the next Future Tours Programme by minimising overlap with England's fixture list. Avoiding direct clashes would enable better availability for England's Test players, though a scheduling crunch looms in 2028 due to the T20 cricket events at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Stakes in the eight Hundred teams are being sold to private investors, with the drawn-out process in its final stages. Gould conceded that it has taken "longer than we thought" to complete the relevant paperwork, but said that the delay has been "time really well spent" and has helped the ECB "understand the ambition" of the new investors.

Investors need to sign shareholder agreements with their respective host clubs but the 'participation agreement' with the ECB has been the main source of the delay. "It is about the 'what ifs'," Gould said. "I hate to think how many sets of lawyers are in on this, but that's what they're paid to do: 'What if this happens?' and 'What if that happens?'

"It is a good state of play. The investors are investing heavily, and therefore they want clarity on all sorts of details… We're doing it up front now so that when everything is signed, we will be off and running in a much better state, knowing where responsibility sits between stakeholders, investors, and the governing body."

Discussions have also taken place around future broadcast contracts for the Hundred, with UK rights currently 'bundled' with the rights to show England's home international fixtures. "The expectation for the next cycle is that we will do that again," Gould said. "There's an opportunity to unbundle thereafter, but there will be really good grown-up conversations as to what's best for the sport."

Gould insisted there is no immediate prospect of any investor walking away: "No, not at the moment," he said. "But we don't take anything for granted, because that's not a clever place to be."

Sanjay Govil, the incoming co-owner of Welsh Fire, has already expressed his preference for the Hundred to become a T20 competition. "That's a discussion that we've parked until their arrival," Gould said. "It's a decision that actually sits with the ECB board. There may be recommendations that come forward at some point but it's not [being discussed] right now."