ECB Pivots Away from Rooney Rule To Embrace Broader Diversity in Coaching Hire
The ECB confirmed that at least one ethnic‑minority individual was involved in the selection process when Stephen Fleming was appointed Test head coach in July.
In April 2025, former director of women’s cricket Clare Connor selected Charlotte Edwards as head coach of the England women’s side without using an open recruitment procedure or the Rooney Rule.
“I think the Rooney Rule should be applied in all situations where it is feasible, and it is not left to the discretion of whoever is recruiting or hiring,” Connor said to BBC Sport.
“Applying the Rooney Rule in every instance does not guarantee results. Our experience shows that strengthening the coaching and leadership pipeline—and increasing the number of ethically diverse and female coaches advancing through the system—has proved the most effective route to lasting change.”
“Our continued dedication to the cricket coaching pathway and development will have the greatest long‑term impact on representation,” the ECB added.
The ECB declared its aim to introduce the Rooney Rule in May 2018. Nearly three years later, in March 2021, the International Cricket Ethnicity Committee (ICEC) was launched amid global movements such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too.
The ICEC’s report “Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket” found that racism, sexism, classism and elitism still permeate the sport.
To advance inclusion, the ECB has prioritised expanding female and ethnically diverse coaching roles at every tier. In 2025 the governing body allocated over 1,000 coaching bursaries, with 22 % awarded to coaches from under‑represented backgrounds.
The ECB’s coaching progression scheme comprises five stages—advanced and specialist represent the highest attainable levels—a framework designed to cultivate talent across the sport.
Since 2021, advancement rates have reflected this focus: 21 % of coaches completing the advanced programme and 19 % of those on the specialist track hail from ethnically diverse communities.
