Reflecting on 2025 and Powering Progress into 2026: Essex Cricket is proud to reflect on a year of meaningful progress in 2025.
With a continued focus on widening participation, strengthening accessibility, and cultivating a sense of belonging across the club, the past year has demonstrated the impact of working collaboratively to ensure cricket truly is a game for everyone.
Throughout 2025, Essex Cricket delivered a range of progressive and impactful initiatives aimed at enhancing representation, opportunity, and community engagement. These efforts helped increase participation across programmes, broaden the diversity of our cricketing community, and reinforce our commitment to education, understanding, and positive cultural change.
The achievements of 2025 highlight what is possible when ambition, accountability, and shared values come together.
Dan Feist, Essex Cricket Chief Executive Officer, said: “At Essex we have a simple vision that everyone can 'Fly Like An Eagle', this impact report shows the continued progress that Essex and the game as a whole continues on the collective ambition to be the most inclusive team sport.
"We aren't just changing how the game is played - we are ensuring that every individual, from our grassroots clubs to the professional crease, along with the staff, members and fans feel seen, heard, and empowered to succeed. Ready to take flight."
As we look to 2026, Essex Cricket’s commitment remains stronger than ever. We will continue striving to make every environment connected to the club - programmes, player pathways, events, matchdays, partner spaces, and community settings - as welcoming and inclusive as possible.
Our ambitions for the year ahead include:
• Strengthening accessibility, inclusivity, and awareness across all touchpoints.
• Expanding partnerships and community relationships to support greater diversity.
• Enhancing communication so our values, stories, and people are represented authentically.
• Embedding stronger reporting and accountability mechanisms to ensure fairness, transparency, and trust.
Bradley Donovan, Essex Cricket Inclusivity Officer, said: “Essex Cricket is deeply committed to creating an environment where equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do.
"Having seen first-hand how meaningful this work can be, I’m genuinely excited to play my part in helping the club continue to grow, improve, and become a place where every individual feels welcomed, valued, and supported.”
As Essex Cricket celebrates its 150th anniversary, this milestone year offers an important opportunity to honour both our history and our evolving identity. Our celebrations across 2026 will showcase the diversity of the Essex Cricket family - from players and staff to communities, stakeholders, partners, and supporters.
By placing inclusion at the heart of our anniversary activities, we reaffirm a simple message: everyone has a place at Essex Cricket.
