Loughborough University are set to play host to one of 8 new Regional Centres of Excellence which are due to replace 50-over county cricket as of this season, according to a job advert which appeared online on Thursday.

The advert, which is for Regional Director of Women’s Cricket for the East Midlands Region, states that the new Director will be based at the Sports Development Centre at Loughborough University.

The East Midlands region will consist of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Loughborough, with the new Director – according to the advert – expected to “establish and lead a senior team and an academy for the East Midlands and work with all the counties to further develop women’s cricket at all levels”.

While Clare Connor had strongly hinted at the launch of the ECB’s new “Inspiring Generations” strategy last October that Loughborough might become host to the East Midlands Centre, the regional hosts have yet to be announced officially by the ECB.

However, Loughborough’s success as host to Loughborough Lightning in the Kia Super League appear to have convinced those involved in the new structure that they deserve to continue to have hosting rights for the new CoE competition.

The news will be welcome to fans of the KSL: not only does it seem almost certain that the Loughborough Lightning brand will continue to exist within women’s cricket, it looks likely that the remaining CoEs will take up the names and branding used during the Super League, albeit in slightly amended form – just as CRICKETher predicted back in October.

While plans for the new Centres of Excellence are largely on hold for the moment, 6 of the 8 Regional Directors of Women’s Cricket are now in place – including Lisa Pagett for South West & Wales, Adam Carty for South Central, Laura Macleod for West Midlands, Richard Bedbrook for London & South East, and David Thorley for North West – with Loughborough set to hold interviews for the above post on 28 or 29 April via Skype.