Clare Connor to leave England role after Women’s T20 World Cup
England women’s chief executive Clare Connor will leave the England and Wales Cricket Board following the Women’s T20 World Cup at home this summer.
Connor, who is also the ECB’s vice president, has been with the organization for 18 years.
Prior to this, the 49-year-old made 111 appearances across formats during his 10-year career in England and led the team to victory in the 2005 Ashes. He combined acting with his teaching job.
Connor, one of the game’s most influential managers, became the first female president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 2021-22.
She became the first woman to sit on the cricket committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and remains chairman of the governing body’s women’s cricket committee.
Connor also served as interim managing director of the ECB from 2022 to 2023.
The Ashes victory she led in 2005 was the first time England women had beaten Australia in 42 years.
He retired from football at the age of 29 and arguably had a far greater impact on the game in the boardroom than on the pitch.
During Connor’s tenure at the European Central Bank, English women’s cricket transitioned from an amateur game to a professional era, including many changes to the domestic structure.
The decision to leave is a personal one and Connor’s departure will take place after the World Cup, which concludes with the final at Lord’s on 5 July.
“It has been an absolute privilege to help grow women’s cricket over the last 18 years,” Connor said.
“Having fallen in love with the game in a very different era to the one we find ourselves in now, my ambitions as a manager were closely tied to making cricket more equal for women and girls.
“It’s just as normal for a girl to pick up a cricket bat as it is for a boy. For a young woman to know – not just dream – that she can be a professional cricketer.”
“It’s hugely rewarding to play a part in removing some of the barriers that prevent these things from being possible, and to know that cricket is now a more inclusive and gender-balanced sport.”
