Female umpires are increasingly concerned that they cannot afford to continue in the role unless they get a pay rise. The issue of pay inequality was raised with the England and Wales Cricket Board at the start of the 2023 season but no action has been taken, one official has told the Observer.
The Guardian revealed on Monday that umpires were paid three times as much to officiate in the 2023 edition of the men’s Hundred than in the women’s tournament, and that umpires in domestic women’s cricket are paid only £80 to stand in the women’s 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Related: England’s Sarah Glenn ‘surprised’ by huge disparity in women umpires’ fees
In a statement, an ECB spokesperson said that it is committed to “increasing pay for umpires who officiate in women’s professional cricket ahead of the 2024 season”. However one umpire, who did not wish to be named, said she had been part of a group who raised the issue with the governing body back in April and were given no commitment to increasing on-field officials’ match fees.
The only change made was to fourth (reserve) umpires, whose match fees in the Hundred were equalised before this year’s competition.
It is understood that the ECB has still failed to contact any women’s cricket umpires with details about forthcoming pay increases.
“Until the article came out, it was a very taboo subject. It feels like the ECB are only making a change because it’s been made public,” the umpire said.
She said that there is fear within the umpiring community about raising the issue publicly, given that the ECB have the power to rescind contracts: “You don’t want to risk causing a stir and then not getting reappointed.”
She had sometimes waited months for expenses claims to be paid by the board, because part-time female umpires are unable to access the same expenses system as the ECB’s panel of professional men’s officials.
“It’s come to Christmas time and I’ve been out of pocket for expenses, from games in August. And I’ll be on the verge, thinking: ‘Why I am waiting to be paid for something that happened in August?’”
Despite the ECB’s commitment to increasing the pipeline of women coming into umpiring, the umpire said that many female umpires – including herself – were concerned that they would not be able to afford to continue if pay did not improve.
“I can’t help but think of the financial implications for me taking a day off work to do cricket,” she said. “There’s a lot of travelling involved. I might be sitting in the car driving three hours to the ground, thinking: ‘Is this worth it for £80?’ I have had a lot of conversations with other female umpires, saying: ‘I can’t afford to do this.’”
On Saturday, an ECB spokesperson reiterated its original statement: “We recognise there are improvements for us to make with regards to remuneration for officials across the women’s professional game, and that there are wider challenges pertaining to the women’s professional game, many of which were highlighted in the ICEC Report. The work regarding remuneration for officials was already in progress and we will be increasing pay for umpires who officiate in women’s professional cricket ahead of the 2024 season.
“We are working hard to secure a pipeline of women coming into umpiring, as well as other areas of cricket including coaching and leadership, but we know that there is still a huge amount of work to be done.
“We expect to see more female umpires progressing to all levels of the game in future years, following the establishment of a new officiating pathway. We are aware of the challenges faced by our female umpires, combining work and study with umpiring, and work with them to help find a suitable balance. The ECB is very keen to continue increasing the number of women officiating in cricket, and in turn to ensure it is a fulfilling and rewarding role.”
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