European Cricket Council

Europe is the largest continent in terms of the number of cricket teams. The European Cricket Council has 34 national federations. Note that the council does not obey the teams of England and Wales, playing in the format of test matches. Roger Knight has been the head of the organization since 2008. The 74-year-old functionary is a lifetime member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (he was president of the club in 2015-2016).

European Cricket Council: history of creation

The main European organization was established in 1997. It’s even late for the Old World since this is where cricket was born. It was in 1793. The game was opened by the sailors of Admiral Nelson while on a working trip in Naples, Italy. The game developed in the 19th century. Many clubs began to appear at the beginning of the 20th century. One of the first famous clubs in Europe was the Milan Cricket. It was on its basis that the football team of the same name was formed. Unfortunately, World Wars I and II did not contribute to the popularization of the game. Because of these events, cricket was forgotten in many places in Europe.

The situation changed only in the 90s of the last century. By this time, the European Cricket Federation existed in the Old World. It was on the basis of this that the European Cricket Council arose. It included 14 national federations in the first year. The European Cricket Council is subordinate to the International Cricket Council. Englishman Richard Holdsworth was responsible for the European region in the international council. The European Cricket Council received funding from an international organization. So, the ICC Champions Trophy took place every two years, where there is always a high commercial interest.

European Cricket Council: members

In the European Cricket Council, a key role is assigned to two national federations – England and Ireland, full council members. It is noteworthy that if England has been represented on the world stage for almost 100 years, then the history of Ireland counts only three years. As with other regional federations, the European Cricket Council has associate members with different statuses:

• Scotland and Netherlands have ODI and T20I statuses.
• T20I status for all other 30 national federations. In 1997, Denmark, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium joined the group. Later they were joined by Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Isle Of Man, Jersey, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Switzerland was expelled from the International Cricket Council in 2012. This happened after an international organization imposed a 12-month suspension on the local federation for breaking the rules: cricket management in the country by two competing associations at once. This behavior is contrary to the International Cricket Council regulations. At that time, the president of the Swiss federation argued that he did not agree with the decision and was ready to reapply documents to join the International Cricket Council: “Although regrettable, this was not surprising. Despite all our efforts over the last two years, the ICC in Dubai has failed to support the SCA during this difficult time. This, however, does mark the beginning of the end, and, as the only organization that complies with the ICC’s membership criteria, we now intend to reapply for membership “.

As a result of the removal, Switzerland was deprived of financial assistance from an international organization to maintain infrastructure and develop play among children and the younger generation. At the end of 2020, this European country applied for re-membership to the International Cricket Council. The decision to admit the Swiss will be considered at the ICC General Meeting in 2021. As soon as the country regains its rights in the international organization, it can apply for return to the regional council. At the moment, Switzerland has 21 cricket clubs, which some countries with a membership in the European Cricket Council cannot boast of.

The European Cricket Council is headquartered in London. Cricket experts note that it is difficult for this sport to achieve wide recognition in Europe because other game disciplines are popular here: football, volleyball, and basketball. The European Cricket Council organizes programs that help popularize cricket. There are programs for young players, coaches, sports doctors, and more. The European organization actively cooperates with Marylebone Cricket Club, the most powerful and historically strongest club in the Old World.

European Cricket Council: tournaments

The main tournament held under the leadership of the European Cricket Council is the European Cricket Championship. The first such tournament was held in 1996, a year before the creation of the European organization. It was attended by seven teams from the Old World, which had associated status, and the English Cricket Board. In 2000, the new members of the European Cricket Council – France and Germany – played in the championship. It was played in two divisions.

In 2006, a new tournament appeared on the cricket calendar – the ICC World Cricket League. This event contributed to the changes in the European Cricket Championship. So, the teams were divided into four divisions. The England national team does not take part in the tournament. The Irish ceased to participate in it after 2008. By this time, they had become a three-time champion of the continent. No one else has such an achievement. Note that England and Ireland are full members of the European Cricket Council.

From 1999 to 2005, the main European cricket organization hosted the European Affiliates Championship. It became irrelevant after the creation of the third division of the European Championship in 2006.