Constitution moves towards meeting Sport England governance guidelines

Sussex Cricket Limited (SCL) has taken a significant step towards complying with Sport England’s Code of Sport Governance after amendments to the organisation’s Rules were adopted on Thursday evening.

At a Special General Meeting held at The 1st Central County Ground, Members voted to increase the number of co-opted Directors on the Board to four and reduce the numbers elected by Individual Members and Affiliated Clubs from ten to six.

This will help increase the diversity, skills and experience of the Board, as SCL Chair Bob Warren explained: “It can’t be guaranteed that the full range of ages, genders, ethnicities and disabilities, as well as the skills and experience that we want to see represented on the Board will be present amongst candidates for election.

“An increase in the number of co-opted Directors will allow us to meet Sport England’s guidelines in this respect, but also allow us to ensure that the Board is populated by those with the skills to meet the specific challenges and maximise the opportunities that Sussex Cricket Limited are presented with in the future.”

Members also voted to introduce a Nominations & Elections Committee (NEC) which will assess all nominated candidates for SCL Board Director positions and for Trustees of the Sussex Cricket Foundation, SCL’s charity.

This brings another aspect of SCL’s governance in line with Sport England’s code, which states that candidates for Board Director posts should be subject to review as to whether they are fit and proper persons.

The financial implications of these amendments were also pointed out by Warren: “All the indications are that the levels of funding that individual counties receive from the ECB [England & Wales Cricket Board] in the future will depend, among other requirements, on the implementation of the Sport England recommendations.”