Anderson supports ECB's plans to make cricket the most inclusive team sport

James Anderson believes that the £35 million investment by the British government in grassroots cricket will significantly improve the sport's profile and accessibility over the next five years.

The funding package was announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at The Oval on Friday morning. Richard Thompson, chairman of the ECB, described it as a "landmark" step in his ambition to make cricket "the most inclusive team sport in the country". The ECB has plans for the construction of 16 'all-weather cricket domes' in towns and cities across England by 2030.

Thompson said:

"Cricket [in England] has never had an investment of this size before from the government. A million children who would never have had the chance to play cricket will now get that chance… that is frankly outstanding. [We] hope that will really develop into something bigger and make schools even more committed to cricket because we're going to be providing the coaching, the facilities and the equipment."

The ECB has already funded a prototype dome in Bradford, which opened last year. Plans are in place to launch two more in Walsall and Luton before the end of this summer. According to Thompson, the government needs to invest in something that they know works, and this dome has proven to be successful.

The funding package includes investment in the ECB's partnerships with charities Chance to Shine, the Lord's Taverners, and the ACE Programme. These charities focus on engaging children from lower socio-economic groups, those with special educational needs and disabilities, and the black community, respectively.

Only 6% of UK schoolchildren attend fee-paying schools, yet over half of the contracted England men's players for 2023-24 received their education at such institutions, some through cricket scholarships. Anderson himself attended his local state school in Burnley and developed a love for the sport thanks to his father Mick's enthusiasm.

Anderson stated that the cricket facilities at his school were non-existent, and there was no access to the sport. He had to request his father to ask their cricket club to cut a pitch on the outfield to enable them to play one or two games a year. The school had a shale-type athletics track and a couple of grass football pitches, but no cricket facilities.

The funding is linked to England's hosting of the women's and men's T20 World Cups in 2026 and 2030. Thompson hopes that these events can help cricket to further enhance its profile.