The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has offered licences to seven First Class Counties, thus establishing the foundations of a new national network of ECB County Cricket Academies. Durham, Yorkshire, Sussex, Somerset, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire will be the first Counties to be accredited in the programme.

The aim of each County Cricket Academy is to identify cricketers who have the potential to play at the highest level of the game, and to deliver a comprehensive development programme which will provide them with the opportunity of fulfilling their potential. Each Academy will support and fund a squad of up to 12 players, between the ages of 13-18, per year.

The County Cricket Academy programme, which forms part of the ECB's World Class Plan*, will compliment the new ECB National Academy, with the ECB's overall target that 50% of England senior players will have come through the County Cricket Academy network by 2007.

The Counties will fund their own Academies, although the ECB will contribute £50,000 p.a. to the costs of each one. It is hoped that, in time, all 18 First Class Counties will develop their own ECB County Cricket Academy.

Hugh Morris, ECB Performance Director, said: "County Cricket Academies will be established to underpin the ECB Development of Excellence programmes, as well as the National Academy. We see the Academy concept as a major initiative in helping to improve playing standards among the most talented young cricketers in England and Wales."

Whilst a number of Counties have already developed their own Academy systems, the ECB's accreditation scheme is designed to ensure that there is nationwide consistency in the development of talented cricketers, as well as a comprehensive resource structure to back them up.

In order to receive ECB accreditation, a number of criteria will have to be met by the County Academies, and these will be reviewed on a regular based in order to maintain standards.

The project will be centrally driven by the ECB, but locally delivered by the First Class County Clubs. The ECB establishes the programme, sets the targets, trains the full-time Academy Director, provides a standard template for the development of Academy players and then monitors the results. The Counties, meanwhile, identify and select the players, and run the Academy.

Players will be selected annually, ready for the start of the non-residential programme in September. In the following seven months until March the following year, the intensive individual training programme will be split roughly in 50% technical development, 25% mental development, 10% tactical development, 10% physical development and 5% lifestyle management. Each Academy player will have a minimum of two one-to-one technical sessions per week with a senior County player during the close season.

During the summer months, a competitive programme for each player will be planned by the Academy Director through modification of school, club and representative opportunities. Players will be fast-tracked if appropriate to their development.

It is hoped that, by September 2003, all County Academies will be open and the programme will be reviewed.

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