Cricket has never stood still, but the pace of change has perhaps never been so great as it is right now. Poised for entry into the Olympics in 2028, with women’s cricket bigger than ever before, but with the future ownership of English counties hanging in the balance and Test cricket under threat, we will gather in Loughborough to discuss the thorny question: What will cricket look like 10 years from now?
Following a successful launch event at Cardiff in February 2024, this will be the second conference organised by the Cricket Research Network, which is chaired by Dr Raf Nicholson.
The conference will include a Q&A panel on The Future of Women’s Cricket featuring Beth Barrett-Wild (ECB Director of the Women’s Professional Game). Other keynote speakers TBC.
We are seeking proposals for individual paper proposals (max 20 minutes) OR themed panels made up of 2-4 presentations, from anyone who has original research into cricket which they would like to share. We welcome presentations from PGRs, ECRs, independent researchers and non-academics.
Panels could address the following questions / themes (note: these are not exhaustive and we welcome all proposals):
- Will the 2028 Olympics herald a truly global era for cricket?
- Project Darwin: is it the right path to equity for women’s cricket?
- Given the existential threat posed by climate change, how can we ensure the long-term
- sustainability of cricket?
- Recreational cricket: is it succeeding or stagnating?
- What are some of the projects and practices which could support change in cricket?
- The ICEC Report 18 months on: What does an inclusive game look like?
- How does the history of cricket continue to impact on its present and future?
- Who will want to watch and play cricket in 2035?
- The Hundred: does it have a future?
- The governance of English and international cricket: does it need reform?
- Can international and franchise cricket continue to co-exist?
- The future of Test and county cricket
If you would like to present your research, please email Raf Nicholson on rnicholson@bournemouth.ac.uk with the following information:
- Your name and the proposed title of your presentation
- Your institutional affiliation (university / cricket organisation / other), if any • A short summary of what you propose to speak about (max 200 words)
- A short biography (max 50 words)
