England began their defence of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup on Thursday looking to extend what has been a golden era for the nation’s short-form team.

Winning the previous CWC in 2019 on home soil, followed by last year’s ICC Men's T20 World Cup, ensures that many of these stars, from Jos Buttler to Ben Stokes to Moeen Ali will be regarded as some of the greatest to have held the white ball for the country that invented cricket.

At the very top of English cricket, these are halcyon days.

However, off the pitch, the game has hit new lows.

Earlier this year, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), delivered a series of damning findings into the state of the English game concluding structural, institutionalised racism, elitism, class-based discrimination, and women being treated as subordinate to men.

The report, commissioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) came on the back of revelations of racism and abuse received by, amongst others, former Yorkshire captain, Azeem Rafiq.

At MKTG, our central premise is to move at the speed fans, and therefore gleaning the latest insights from audience data is something we do regularly, sharing with our clients and partners. This data also helps to shape the strategy that informs the work we deliver for them.

This summer, we worked with our colleagues at Dentsu Sport Analytics to take the pulse of cricket fans and help us better understand the challenges for rights holders and brands in the sector, on the back of this turbulent period for the sport.

Through our survey, we weighted the data accordingly to represent those that follow cricket in England and Wales. What we uncovered was a tale of two different worlds.

Contrasting perspectives on the game

Firstly, the higher participation levels from the South Asian community was immediately apparent.

Of the cricket fans we spoke to, 37 per cent of respondents said they play the game occasionally or frequently, with half of those being South Asian (81 per cent of all South Asian respondents).

When asked whether they believe racism is a prevalent issue in cricket, more than half of non-white cricket fans (53 per cent) agreed yet this percentage drops to a third (33 per cent) for the overall sample.

Moreover, non-white fans are all more likely to agree that elitism, sexism and drinking culture are prevalent issues in cricket.

Sexism in cricket was also brought into focus by the ICEC report, which found that female players were treated like ‘second class citizens.’

The average female England cricketer earned less than a fifth than her male counterparts, it found.

Interestingly, we found that if you are a younger cricket fan you are significantly more likely to agree that sexism is a prevalent issue in the game (48 per cent of under 35 respondents vs 26 per cent of over 35 respondents).

Likewise, if you play cricket (37 per cent) against just watching the game (29 per cent).

An overall trend we found is that those who invest in the game through membership of a cricket club are more likely to agree that all four issues are prevalent. For example, 54 per cent of those who are members at a local cricket club agree elitism is prevalent against 39 per cent who are not member of a cricket club.

Similar for drinking culture, 46 per cent who are members of a local cricket club agree versus 32 per cent who are not members of any club.

So the most engaged cricket fans in the country - and from a financial point of view - the most important, are also the most disillusioned with the state of the game.

We asked our sample of cricket fans whether the release of the ICEC report had changed their opinions towards stakeholders in the game, namely male professional players, female professional players, sponsors in the game, county cricket clubs and the ECB.

It is worth noting that, while there is strong neutral opinion for all groups, the ECB, county cricket clubs and male professional players have gathered the most negative reaction. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those from non-white backgrounds had a stronger feeling of negativity towards each group.

Next, we asked our data set of cricket fans, which stakeholders they felt had a role to play in addressing these issues.

Again, the onus falls onto the ECB, county cricket clubs and male professional players.

Finally, we put a series of statements to our respondents around various issues related the ICEC report.

The disparity between white and non-white cricket fans is clear to see.

English cricket pledges a new era

The ECB launched a raft of initiatives and made a series of pledges last month in response to the ICEC report.

Some of these are immediate - such as increasing match fees for female players and upping the investment in the women’s game.

Some, involve longer term goals around lifting barriers and improving state school participation.

A fund of £2 million will go towards reconfiguring talent pathways to identify and nurture more talent from state schools and from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Perhaps most crucially will be the formation of a new, independent regulator to help enforce the rules and investigate incidents.

The ECB need to start delivering results quickly as they look to put this crisis behind them and restore faith in their governance of the game.

During this period, and with disillusionment high in the game, no more so than from its most engaged fans, it is vital that the game’s stakeholders connect with diverse communities in a meaningful, authentic way.

Delivering a brighter future through sponsorship

Partnerships can make a difference, driving much needed revenue towards diversity initiatives and placing pressure on the game’s stakeholders to deliver results, but only when activated effectively.

Take for example, Indian street food franchise, Chaiiwala, which became The Hundred’s first ‘official chai partner’ this summer. 

The one-year partnership appears to have yielded little in the way of activation, despite the promise of “events with The Hundred players, collaborations in ground and competitions on social media channels.”

Announcing an official chai partner makes for a great headline, but was this a missed opportunity?

A better example to follow would be that of The Hundred’s Official Team Partner KP Snacks, whose marketing director, Kevin McNair explained how the company is looking to work hand in hand with the ECB on their pledge to make the game more inclusive.

Speaking to Unofficial Partner this week, McNair added: “We were pleased to announce this year that 35 pitches have been built in less affluent areas which give people the opportunity to get involved in the sport. We want to give a million people the opportunity to get active through cricket.”

KP Snacks’ ‘Everyone In’ campaign, launched earlier this year at Broadwater Farm, Tottenham, where one of the first pitches has been installed, is an activation with a simple pledge at its core and measurable outcomes.

The ECB’s short-form competition has divided opinion in the game, but unquestionably it has helped to attract diverse crowds, large TV audiences and shine a light on a new generation of male and female stars.

The right partnership in cricket today should be seen as a golden ticket for brands looking to drive purpose at a time when 66 per cent of fans say they are more likely to support a company supports equality and 68 per cent say promoting diversity is important to them.

Moreover, it is an opportunity to be part of the solution and help drive the game forward.

When presented with our findings, Azeem Rafiq, whose revelations triggered English cricket’s biggest crisis, said: “Fans are an important part of the game and clearly so many are disengaged - we need to do more. The data tells a story. How can we make sure that fans feel more positive about the future of the game? Cricket needs to rebuild trust with these communities.”

“Brands and sponsors have a huge role to play and those who care about the future of the game should be asking themselves right now how they can help.”

Despite its phenomenal global growth and on pitch success for England, cricket is a sport that has given us plenty of bad headlines over the past few years.

It deserves a brighter, more inclusive future, and I believe it is the brands whose investment into the game powers its growth, while ensuring rights holders operate in accordance with the values demanded by the socially conscious consumer, hold the key.

At MKTG we use an established purpose-driven framework, powered by the latest data and insights, to help brands identify an authentic role and deliver change through activation with major sporting properties. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me: Amar.Singh@MKTG.com