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Non-disclosure agreements cloud T20 debate
- Updated: September 9, 2016
Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) lasting for 10 years are preventing progress on the debate over the future direction of domestic T20, according to county officials.
The ECB insisted that the agreements were signed before counties could be shown plans for a new competition. But now the counties – most of which are owned by their members – say they are constitutionally, morally and perhaps fiducially obliged to consult them before coming to any conclusions. Several clubs, who are unwilling to be named for fear of being seen to have broken their NDAs, state they would need to hold Special General Meetings before progressing.
While the ECB claims the non-disclosure agreements are due to the “commercial sensitivity” of the discussion, some county executives fear they are an attempt to stifle opposition and present plans for a new tournament as a fait accompli.
It is true that the ECB is anxious to end an argument that has rumbled on for several years, with occasional outbreaks of cricket. The board has told the counties it wants to “reach consensus” on the shape of the proposed new tournament at a meeting on September 14.
But some of the counties say that this timeframe does not allow discussion with members, or any other cricket lovers, or further examination of the consequences of their decisions. They point out that, while sponsors, broadcasters (some broadcasters, anyway), players and the counties have been given details of the potential options, spectators have been informed only by media reports. They also point out that many questions about the new competition remains unclear.
The last time the ECB conducted a consultation process into domestic T20 – the Populous survey of 2012 – it suggested that spectators preferred a predictable schedule that didn’t demand too much of their time or their money in the space of a few days. It increasingly looks as if the new competition will see games played every day of the week in a July block.
At this stage, though, there is no official preferred option. The ECB presented …
