30 July 2024
England and Wales Cricket Board – Grass Pitch Improvement Fund
Grants are available to support ECB affiliated cricket clubs to help address inequalities in access to safe, good quality grass cricket pitches across England and Wales.
The Grass Pitch Improvement Fund (GPIF) is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The ECB was established in 1997 as the single national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales.
Through the GPIF, Sport England Lottery Fund will provide funding for projects in England. The England and Wales Cricket Trust (EWCT), a wholly owned charitable subsidiary of England and Wales Cricket Board Limited (ECB), will provide funding for projects in Wales.
The funding is intended to support investment into three main areas:
- Improving the quality of squares and outfields (for grass pitches rated ‘unsuitable’ or ‘basic’ to improve to at least ‘good’).
- Creating sustainable management of sites (through irrigation and machinery improvements).
- Installing hybrid pitches to increase playing capacity.
The fund will run until March 2027, or whenever funding is fully allocated, whichever is sooner.
Guidance notes and the online application portal can be accessed from the England and Wales Cricket Board website.