The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has stopped regularly applying the Rooney Rule when appointing coaches to England’s national teams, marking a change to a recruitment policy introduced in 2018 to improve opportunities for candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The governing body confirmed the change after being questioned about appointments across England’s men’s and women’s setups since 2024, according to a report by BBC Sport‘s Stephan Shemilt.
Under its original commitment, the ECB had pledged to interview at least one applicant from an ethnic minority background for coaching vacancies across the national men’s, women’s and disability teams. The board now uses different recruitment methods depending on the position, rather than consistently applying that requirement.
ECB shifts focus towards coaching development and diversity
The change comes as the ECB continues efforts to increase diversity across cricket’s coaching and leadership structures, with the governing body identifying long-term development as a central part of its approach.
The ECB said in a statement to BBC Sport: “We remain committed to improving diversity and representation within cricket. We recognise there are differing views on the effectiveness of the Rooney Rule, and instead of applying that in every case, our experience has shown that strengthening the coaching and leadership pipeline, and increasing the number of ethnically diverse and female coaches progressing through the system, is the most effective way of securing long-term change.”
The ECB has supported this approach through coaching education and financial assistance. In 2025, it funded more than 1,000 coaching bursaries, with 22% awarded to coaches from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
The governing body’s coaching pathway consists of five levels, with advanced and specialist qualifications representing its two highest stages. Since 2021, ethnically diverse participants have accounted for 21% of coaches taking the advanced course and 19% of those undertaking specialist training.
The ECB added: “We believe that our continued commitment to the coaching pathway and development will have the greatest long-term impact on representation.”
Recent England appointments highlight recruitment approach
BBC Sport examined 16 appointments associated with England’s men’s and women’s teams since 2024, prompting the ECB to acknowledge that the Rooney Rule had not been applied in every case.
The positions examined extended beyond coaching jobs to include selectors and directors of cricket.
Among the recent appointments were Richard Dawson, James Foster and Eric Simons, who joined England’s men’s Test coaching staff on Monday. Michael Yardy was also appointed Elite National Batting Lead.
The ECB confirmed that at least one candidate from an ethnic minority background was considered during the recruitment process that resulted in Stephen Fleming becoming England Men’s Test Head Coach in July.
However, the appointment of Charlotte Edwards as England Women’s Head Coach in April 2025 followed a different process, with no open recruitment exercise or application of the Rooney Rule.
Clare Connor’s earlier comments contrast with current policy
The decision to appoint Edwards was made by Clare Connor, then ECB Director of Women’s Cricket, who publicly addressed the use of the Rooney Rule at the time.
Connor told BBC Sport in April 2025: “I think the Rooney Rule should be absolutely applied in all circumstances where it is deemed feasible. I don’t think it’s on the whim of the person recruiting or hiring.”
Her comments came during a period when the ECB continued to present the Rooney Rule as part of its recruitment practices, despite the absence of an open selection process for the England Women’s Head Coach position.
Connor also stated: “It is practise within the ECB across our pathway appointments and our senior appointments in England cricket that we apply the Rooney Rule.”
ECB explains changes to national-team recruitment
The ECB’s current approach allows appointments to be made through open recruitment or more focused searches, depending on the expertise and responsibilities involved.
An ECB Spokesperson told BBC Sport: “Coach recruitment processes are tailored to the requirements of each role. Some appointments involve open recruitment processes, while others involve targeted searches for specialist skillsets, experience and leadership qualities. At times we recruit an individual, and at others we recruit a team.”
The governing body also uses external recruitment specialists alongside its internal teams when identifying potential candidates for elite coaching positions.
The ECB stated: “In elite sport, the pool of candidates can be relatively small. As such, we use a range of approaches, including external recruitment specialists and the expertise of our internal teams, to identify the strongest possible candidates and ensure we consider coaches from a range of backgrounds.”
The spokesperson noted: “We regularly review our recruitment practices, and our approach has evolved over the last eight years.”
Rooney Rule introduced before major cricket discrimination review
The ECB announced its intention to adopt the Rooney Rule in May 2018, drawing on a policy introduced by the National Football League (NFL) in the United States in 2003.
Named after former NFL Diversity Committee Chairman Dan Rooney, the original rule required American football teams to interview at least one ethnic minority candidate for head coaching or senior football operations vacancies.
The ECB’s commitment preceded the establishment of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which was announced in March 2021 amid wider attention to discrimination following movements including Black Lives Matter and Me Too.
In 2023, the commission published its Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket report, identifying widespread racism, sexism, classism and elitism across cricket in England and Wales.
The ECB has also repeatedly expressed its ambition to make cricket the most inclusive sport in the country.
Its current recruitment policy no longer requires routine application of the Rooney Rule, while the governing body’s stated approach to improving representation centres on developing a broader pool of qualified coaches and future leaders.
