The fourth episode of the Sport, Structured podcast, hosted by James Cooper, puts English domestic cricket in the spotlight, with three Leonard Curtis directors joining the discussion: Iain Nairn MBE, former captain of the England Physical Disability cricket team, David Brown, who played county cricket for Gloucestershire and Glamorgan, and Alex Cadwallader, a former rugby union player and the Leonard Curtis Business of Sport lead.

With county cricket at a crossroads amid the growing prominence of global franchise competitions, and a £520m windfall from sales of equity in The Hundred’s eight teams, this episode examines the opportunities and challenges facing the domestic game.

Drawing on some of the key findings from the first edition of the Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report, the discussion also assesses how disability cricket, women’s cricket and university cricket are set to evolve in the coming years.

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Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction & meet the guests

2:16 – State of the game: rating cricket & the player-to-business shift

4:15 – Cricket vs rugby: governance and Rob Andrew at the ECB6:01 – Is this the golden age for players? The Hundred's winners and losers

8:32 – The treadmill: schedule congestion, burnout & player freedom11:23 – Loyalty, money & inside the Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report

13:33 – The 'haves' and 'have nots', demutualisation and club membership

21:12 – Governance lessons & how counties will spend The Hundred windfall

25:10 – The £520m question: what does success look like?

28:13 – Grassroots cricket and the university pathway

33:08 – State schools and disability cricket: widening access

38:52 – Women's cricket: investment, impact & comparisons with rugby

45:01 – Cricket in 10 years: predictions and the future of The Hundred

49:24 – What's in it for investors? Closing thoughts

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Read our sports finance reports here: https://www.leonardcurtis.co.uk/business-of-sport?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sport-structured-ep3&utm_content=business-of-sport

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcbusinessofsport/

Follow David Brown on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/david-brown-106b4070

Follow Iain Nairn MBE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-nairn-mbe-9552675

Follow Alex Cadwallader on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/alex-cadwallader-84952228

Follow James Cooper on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/jamescooper207

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Filmed at University Campus of Football Business’ Manchester Podcast Studio

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Thank you to our UCFB student production team:

Rowan MacLellan, Editor

Calum Spiller, Autocue

Evie Malcom, Production assistant

Ella Mazurke, Camera and lighting

Louis Jones, Audio

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Disclaimer:

The content of this podcast is intended as commentary and opinion on matters of public interest in the sports industry. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, figures, statistics and financial data referenced may be based on publicly available estimates and could be subject to error or change. Nothing in this podcast should be taken as a statement of fact. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us at rob.venables@leonardcurtis.co.uk and we will endeavour to correct the record promptly.