The England & Wales Cricket Board "introduced the Rooney Rule for all national coaching positions" to guarantee that at least one black, Asian or minority ethnic candidate is interviewed during the recruitment stage, according to Ali Martin of the London GUARDIAN. The policy, which begins immediately and "will be rolled out to county cricket in due course," is part of the ECB's new "wide-ranging action plan for engaging south Asian communities," which was published on Thursday. With this paper "comes an admission" from ECB CEO Tom Harrison that the sport "has previously fallen short." Harrison: "Cricket is a force for good in society and our job is to ensure that it makes a positive impact on as many people’s lives as possible." Statistics show that the south Asian population in the U.K. is "grossly underrepresented within established English cricket." It makes up a third of recreational players across the country and "yet this figure drops to 4% within the first-class professional system," with only 5% of the county coaching workforce being of south Asian heritage (GUARDIAN, 5/10). In London, Nick Hoult reported the ECB will install "black-out blinds" at indoor cricket centers, serve halal food at grounds and "encourage music and flags at matches to attract more Asian fans." Multi-faith prayer areas "will also be created at all grounds and food courts will be moved away from areas serving alcohol" to make cricket "more welcoming for fans of an Asian background." The proposals are part of a 105-page ECB action plan which is the result of two years of consultations and surveys working with the south Asian community and "spearheaded by Lord Patel of Bradford, an increasingly influential figure at the board." The ECB "will also hold talks with the counties urging them to also adopt the Rooney Rule over the next two years." The ECB plans to deliver "unconscious bias" training for county academy directors to educate them about the needs of ethnic minorities, "award bursaries to players from poor backgrounds" and appoint "Community Talent Champions" to help Asian cricketers "navigate the route from parks cricket to the professional game in the hope of stemming the flood of lost talent" (TELEGRAPH, 5/10).
ALL ABOUT ACCESS: The BBC reported the study, which involved speaking to more than 600 people across the U.K., revealed that South Asian participation makes up 30% of the recreational game in the U.K. and 18% of the cricketing economy is contributed by fans of south Asian origin. It "also found that the biggest barrier" to south Asian participation was "access to facilities in urban areas." The ECB said that it is a "long-term ambition" for implementation between '20 and '24, "although it could come into force much sooner" (BBC, 5/10).
