I should perhaps begin by stating two things for the record:

1. I think the central contracts for England women have outlived their usefulness, and should be abolished.
2. Issuing two year contracts to players coming towards the end of their careers, as the ECB did last year, was difficult to justify.

Nonetheless, the ECB clearly do believe in the central contracts system, and last year they issued seven two year contracts alongside 10 standard one year deals. The accompanying press release included a quote from England Women’s Player Partnership Management Board Member, Emma Reid, who said:

“EWPP and the PCA are really encouraged at the progression of standards within the Women’s Central Contracts, achieved through strong collaboration between the ECB and player representatives. It is positive to see multi-year agreements.“ [Emphasis mine.]

Just a few weeks ago, the ECB effectively restated their commitment to the principle of two year contracts by issuing 14 of them to the men.

So it was something of a surprise when this year’s contracts were announced to see that the two year deals awarded to Amy Jones, Heather Knight etc. have not been extended, and have now de-facto become one year deals again. (The press release is a bit vague, but we’ve had it confirmed that none of the two year deals were “rolled” and everyone’s contract now expires in October 2026.)

So one minute, two year deals are encouraging, positive progress, not to mention being thrown around like confetti for the men; the next they are literally last year’s news.

I’m wondering what has changed… and I’m guessing players like Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone are too!