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Sussex case exposes fragility of county cricket amid concerns over player costs
Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report co-author offers bleak assessment as Sussex placed in special measures by ECB
- With Sussex facing allegations of financial mismanagement and breaches of the ECB’s sustainability regulations, Prof Rob Wilson warns the county model “remains structurally fragile” despite the £520m Hundred windfall.
- Amid reports of significant rises in player wages at many counties over the winter, Leonard Curtis director and former Gloucestershire and Glamorgan batting all-rounder David Brown says: “Once salary inflation becomes embedded, it is very difficult to reverse without damaging dressing room culture and competitive performance.”
Professor Rob Wilson, co-author of the Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report, has said the news that Sussex have been placed in special measures by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is a “warning sign the county model remains structurally fragile” despite the £520 million windfall from The Hundred.
The Guardian reported on 18th January that the ECB have taken the steps due to alleged financial mismanagement and breaches of the governing body’s sustainability regulations by the Hove club.
It is understood the county is in the process of signing up to an ECB business plan, which will include strict limits on their spending, with any significant outgoings such as player signings or registrations requiring approval from Lord’s.
Prof Wilson, who is a professor of applied sport finance, said: “This is clearly a serious moment for Sussex, and frankly a sobering one for the wider domestic game.
“When a county is reported to have been placed in special measures, it suggests the governing body believes intervention is needed rather than simple monitoring.
“That is significant, because it implies concerns about oversight, spending discipline, and the ability to operate within agreed sustainability frameworks.
“Sussex are an important club, with deep roots and a proud history, and for them to be discussed in this way indicates the scale of the financial pressures now running through the county system.”
Five counties in ECB’s sustainability red zone
While facing challenges common across counties without a Test match ground, Sussex – who finished fourth in Division One of the County Championship last season – had widely been viewed as a well-run club who look to compete by developing homegrown players.
However, according to The Guardian report, Sussex are understood to have been one of five counties in the red zone of the ECB’s ‘red, amber, green’ sustainability ratings that assess each club’s financial position last season, with their problems worsening since.
“This is a warning sign the county model remains structurally fragile, as we indicated in the first Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report,” Prof Wilson said.
“If multiple clubs are reportedly in a red category at the same time, that is not simply the story of one poorly run organisation, it is evidence of a system under strain.
“Counties are being asked to compete, develop talent, maintain facilities, and remain relevant in a crowded sporting marketplace, but many do not have reliable, self-sustaining revenue streams to match those demands.
“The danger is that financial distress becomes normalised, and once that happens, it becomes harder to protect the integrity of competition, long-term planning, and even the basic stability of the professional workforce.”
Yawning gap between Hundred host counties and non-hosts
The inaugural edition of the Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report, published last July, featured the first-ever comprehensive index of the financial health of the 18 first-class counties.
The analysis, which assessed each county’s financial and sporting performance over ten years from 2014 to 2023, highlighted the yawning gap in financial strength between counties who host a Hundred team and non-hosts.
The seven host counties all feature in the top ten of the rankings (where a lower score is more desirable), with the average score for the hosts 7.25, compared with 9.07 for the non-hosts.
Sussex – who do not host a Hundred franchise – are in 12th place, with a score of 9.53.
The club made a loss in eight of the ten years assessed, with a loss of almost £623,000 in 2023. This was followed by a further loss of around £596,000 in 2024, and The Guardian reported that their losses for 2025 are understood to have been far greater.
Salary inflation “very difficult to reverse”
Hopes have been raised about the long-term outlook for county cricket since The Hundred auction, with the 11 non-hosts including Sussex each due to receive around £25-30 million.
The ECB has said the funds are expected to be used for building reserves, revenue generation and debt reduction, and has imposed “guardrails” on how the money can be spent, with counties required to make applications for its release.
The governing body has insisted the windfall should not be squandered by overspending on players and staff salaries, but there is reported to be concern at Lord’s that player costs have risen significantly at many counties over the winter.
David Brown, a Leonard Curtis director and former batting all-rounder for Gloucestershire and Glamorgan, warned that any major increases in player wages could create serious difficulties across the county game.
“It is extremely dangerous if costs are rising faster than secure income,” he said. “Player wages are one of the largest controllable expenses in the county system, and once salary inflation becomes embedded, it is very difficult to reverse without damaging dressing room culture and competitive performance.
“The risk is that counties get pulled into an arms race, where staying competitive requires spending they cannot truly afford. That is precisely how financial instability becomes chronic.
“In the long run it can lead to reduced investment in pathways, facilities, community engagement, and the very elements that keep counties alive beyond the first team.”
Counties under pressure
Brown – who played 24 first-class matches and 73 List A and T20 games between 2003 and 2011 – also warned “there is a perception that English cricket has more money in the system now, and perceptions shape negotiations”.
He added: “Counties are under pressure, because if you lose your best players, you lose results, you lose relevance, and potentially you lose income.
“So, the logic becomes defensive: offer more to keep talent, even if it stretches the budget. But when many clubs do that at once, the whole salary landscape rises, and the game becomes more financially exposed.”
Deep-rooted challenges
Prof Wilson stressed that while providing relief in the short to medium term, the £520 million investment from The Hundred cannot resolve deep-rooted challenges within county cricket on its own.
“Windfalls do not automatically fix business models,” he explained. “If the fundamentals remain the same, then financial stress simply returns once spending rises to meet the new ceiling.”
He added: “The county game has immense cultural value and produces the players England rely on, but it needs cost control, transparency, and a clearer sense of what sustainability means in practice.
“If special measures and red ratings become recurring headlines, then the priority must shift from firefighting to reform. Otherwise, we risk turning a foundational part of English cricket into a permanent financial emergency.”
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