Club Affiliation
Affiliation for clubs is open for 2026. Affiliation formalises your club’s link with Durham Cricket Foundation and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It enables clubs to participate in official competitions and access development support, funding applications (subject to eligibility) and much more.
Last year affiliation changed significantly due to new mandatory regulations for clubs. As a result, Durham Cricket Foundation adopted regulatory jurisdiction over clubs and by affiliating, clubs acknowledge and accept the change.
Affiliated clubs are required to meet ECB standards for safeguarding, governance and conduct regulations, ensuring a safe, well-run environment for all participants. Affiliation is mandatory for recreational clubs in England and Wales and reflects a shared commitment to player welfare and the structured, long-term development of the game.
Background
Durham Cricket Foundation is now mandated by ECB to ensure that all clubs playing recreational cricket in Durham are signed up to the ECB’s rules, regulations and guidance that are applicable to it (as determined by the ECB from time to time), including the ECB Anti-Discrimination Code and the General Conduct Regulations or Recreational Conduct Regulations.
The Foundation must administer a process for recreational cricket clubs within our jurisdiction (or those who can reasonably be said to be within its jurisdiction) to become affiliated to us, which must require each recreational cricket club to accept that Durham Cricket Foundation has (and may exercise) regulatory jurisdiction over it.
Durham Cricket Foundation has adopted and will implement and enforce the ECB’s General Conduct Regulations, including through the establishment and application of appropriate disciplinary procedures and the appointment of appropriate disciplinary and appeal panels.
Changes to the requirements for club affiliation have been approved by the ECB Regulatory Board and Recreational Game Committee.
As a game we have the collective responsibility to ensure participants feel safe and included in whatever capacity they choose to participate. Whether as players, volunteers or those operating in a paid or professional capacity, we want people to feel able to manage and respond to issues of ill-discipline or discrimination when they arise. The purpose of this project is to enable us to achieve this, by supporting clubs in being proactive at point of affiliation, by way of adopting appropriate policies allowing us to act effectively as and when issues arise.
How we’re changing our process:
With the above changes in mind, Durham Cricket Foundation has decided to separate the standard national governing body affiliation from the Durham Cricket benefits package to avoid any confusion. All clubs that affiliate, will still be able to gain access to the club’s benefit package though, but that element must be done separately.
Everything you need to know about affiliation is below:
The benefits of affiliating
By affiliating, your club can get access to development support from Durham Cricket Foundation whether that’s assistance to recruit more volunteers, set up a new junior or women’s and girls’ section, or apply for ECB Grants and/or Interest Free Loans.
Your club will also get access to free Public and Employer’s Liability Club Insurance, the ability to apply for work permits for overseas professional players and entry in ECB National Competitions and Durham’s Junior League as well as a lot more.
Affiliate Now
To affiliate, please visit the link below.
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