The 10 first-class counties that missed out on hosting professional women’s teams as part of a domestic restructure set to launch next year have all been awarded tier two status.
Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Kent, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Middlesex, Sussex, Worcestershire and Yorkshire will compete in 50-over and T20 cricket next year as the existing regional model is phased out.
Yorkshire are set to join Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire in tier one in 2026 with Glamorgan following 12 months later, while the England and Wales Cricket Board wants to add another two counties in 2029 to form a 12-team top tier.
All national counties who want to take part in the new structure will be awarded tier three status, although there will be no promotion and relegation until 2028 at the earliest.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced a knockout cup competition between teams from all three tiers was in the pipeline.
It is expected something akin to football’s FA Cup will take place from next year and exist alongside the new three-tier structure.
Beth Barrett-Wild, director of the women’s professional game, said: “It’s exciting to see the three tiers finalised. It brings the new landscape of women’s professional domestic cricket one step closer.
“From next summer we will see up to 39 counties competing across the new structure, which will both accommodate the growth and accelerate the depth of the women’s professional game – on and off the field.”
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