‘Precarious position’: Australian Country Cricket Championships under threat
The future of country cricket’s centrepiece event has been thrown into doubt after Cricket Australia funding cuts, in a decision that some fear could have far-reaching impacts on the game.
The future of Australian country cricket’s centrepiece event has been thrown into doubt after Cricket Australia withdrew funding for it in a decision that some fear could have far-reaching impacts on the game across the nation.
Regional cricket officials were recently informed that CA would cancel its funding contribution towards the Australian Country Cricket Championships following this season.
“Basically that has created a number of challenges that we now face going forward to be able to maintain the Australian Country Cricket Championships and to a greater degree confidence in the Australian country cricket scene,” said Rob Marshall, the chair of the Australian Country Cricket Council.
The tournament sits at the top of the country cricket pyramid and sees country representative teams from all states compete for the national title in both men’s and women’s divisions.
And while there is financial support from the national body for this summer’s championships, to be held in Busselton/Margaret River and the Barossa Valley, respectively, the future remains unclear.
“I think we possibly have known that it was a possibility some time in the future but the timing of it did catch us by surprise and has created a number challenges in regards to commitments we’ve already made for beyond this season,” said Marshall. “So we were caught a little bit off guard.”
CA’s decision was made as part of broader cuts that saw funding slashed or completely removed for various forms of the game, including indoor cricket, Indigenous programs, all abilities and veteran’s cricket.
It follows news of the governing body’s $11.3 million loss for the 2024/25 financial year, which itself comes on the back of a $30 million deficit the year before.
The call reverses longstanding funding for the Australian Country Cricket Championships. It is understood that CA previously covered the full costs of the event, estimated at $250,000, and also provided staff to help run the tournament.
However ahead of the 2022/23 season Cricket Australia slashed its financial contribution to $100,000 and no longer provided staffing assistance to help run the carnival, which forced country cricket officials to turn to their state bodies to make up the shortfall.
“We’ve been able to successfully maintain the carnival over the last three years since Cricket Australia made the initial withdrawal of money,” said Marshall.
“But this last announcement puts us in a very precarious position and the states have basically all indicated they can’t commit any more than they already have, so effectively we’re a fair chunk of money short of where we need to be to successfully continue the carnival moving forward.
“Having said that, we’re very clear to say that we simply have to find a way and we will find a way because it’s too important to country cricket.”
Indeed, the Australian Country Cricket Council is currently exploring various options to generate funding, including sponsorship, given that the body is now free from contractual agreements tied to CA’s financial support.
“Effectively it means that we can go out in the marketplace and try and secure a sponsor,” said Marshall.
“While this was a bit of a surprise and caught us off-guard, we’re mobilising quickly to try and find our way through.
“There’s still a fair degree of uncertainty … and hopefully we can progress it forward and in some ways come out the other side in a better position. But right now it’s a big challenge for country cricket in Australia.”
Despite being confident that a solution can be found, Marshall admits that a failure to generate the necessary funding could spell the end for the concept, which has been played since the summer of 1894/85.
“The worst-case scenario would be of course that we would have to call it a day on the championships that we believe have a greater impact than just being a once-a-year carnival,” he said.
“And that’s probably the main point that I’m trying to make: the facts are that the Australian Country Cricket Championships are more than just a championship, they are a pinnacle piece for all county cricketers, whether you’re in the wheat belt of Western Australia or out in the back blocks of Queensland somewhere, to have a focal point to attain.
“To play for the WA Country XI, for example, for a lot of people is their baggy green and influences the decision-making of young cricketers as to whether they stay on the farm and spend their life supporting their local community playing cricket and attaining an achievement of a Country XI or feel like they’ve got to move to a metropolitan area and see what they can achieve there.”
Further to this point, there are concerns that the cancellation of the tournament could disincentivise talented cricketers in regional areas or indeed trigger a further flow to cities, which would in turn have an impact on local clubs and regional communities.
“It sort of has this domino effect that you represent your club to your association, your town, your region, your zone: it’s this whole stepping stone that a player can go through,” said Paul Marjoribanks, the chairman of Country Cricket NSW.
“So if that carrot at the top goes away it has a bit of an effect on participation and incentives to play down the line. You’d find players not playing or playing with less intent.
“It’s really important and it’s also great to reward people, who for whatever reason – be it their employment or their family situation or just their desire to stay in the country – decide to stay in the country and can still play a higher standard of cricket,” he added.
“There’s real potential for a domino effect. It’s not about the 100 players that go away to this carnival.”
Furthermore, Marjoribanks noted that the tournament had also helped several female cricketers carve a path towards professional cricket, with off-spinner Sienna Eve among those to earn a contract with the NSW Breakers and Sydney Thunder after playing for NSW Country.
“For the women’s side in particular it really can be a stepping stone to professional cricket, while for the men it’s a great reward. That’s the real concern, not just losing a week of cricket in a year but the effect it could have down the line.”
On a broader level, Marjoribanks said there are concerns that any weakening of country cricket at a local level could also jeopardise its place as a breeding ground for future international stars.
“Ultimately, country cricketers make up half the cricketers in Australia and you only have to look at the test side: Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood have all come through country cricket, which has been a great pathway for cricketers forever.”
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