Cricket Scotland will implement remunerated contracts for the women’s squad

• Cricket Scotland announced first-ever paid contracts for international women’s team  
• The move will professionalize the game in line
• Gordon Arthur will hold the position on a fixed-term basis through November 2023

The first-ever paid contracts for members of Cricket Scotland’s international women’s team were announced on Thursday.

The move will professionalize the game in line with the board’s goal of making cricket the most accessible and inviting sport in Scotland, whose women’s squad is presently ranked 14th in the ICC T20I rankings and was disqualified from competing in the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.

According to a statement from Cricket Scotland, “This builds on the move to pay equal match fees to the men’s and women’s players introduced in 2021 and will enable a number of players to devote more time to training and practice and is a start to putting the women’s game onto a fully professional footing,”

Notably, a damning report on institutional racism in the sport of cricket earlier this year caused Scottish cricket to enter a crisis. A number of actions were taken to address these, and the board hopes that they “will underpin long-term success for the international teams and produce a more viable governing body in the years ahead.”

Seven employees who work in the strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, and support services departments will not have their contracts renewed by Cricket Scotland. Instead, the organization will hire a new head of communications, an EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion) manager, and a manager for “conduct in sport.”

“The changes are required to refocus the governing body’s priorities and to establish a strong financial base from which to launch an ambitious new strategy for the sport in the coming months,” the statement said.

Gordon Arthur, the board’s interim CEO, will hold the position on a fixed-term basis through November 2023 “to guarantee stability and continuity during this period of significant change.”

“We need to reset and rebuild to ensure that we are in the strongest possible position to deliver real and meaningful change across Scottish cricket. This won’t be without challenges but we have a great opportunity to take the sport confidently forward in the years ahead,” said Arthur.

The month after he was named chair, Anjan Luthra stated: “This is a watershed moment for the game of cricket in Scotland. The funding for the women’s game that was announced today is a crucial cornerstone in our effort to establish cricket in Scotland an entirely inclusive sport free from racism, prejudice, and inequality.

“We have an opportunity to create a bold new vision for our Scottish cricket and we are committed to doing so by driving positive change at every level within our sport.
At the same time, we are rebuilding capacity within the governing body and addressing the weaknesses and failings identified through the Changing the Boundaries report so that we build a first-class governing body for Scottish cricket,” he added.

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