Sam Billings advocates for equitable revenue sharing from the ECB’s potential sale of Hundred team stakes to private investors. He emphasizes the moral obligation of major clubs to support the prosperity of all 18 first-class counties. Billings stresses the importance of ensuring that financial benefits are distributed fairly across the cricketing landscape. His stance reflects a commitment to fostering sustainability and inclusivity within the sport, promoting a more balanced and supportive ecosystem for all stakeholders involved.
Broad Agreement Between the ECB and the Counties:
While the ECB and the counties generally concur on selling stakes in the eight Hundred teams, there are lingering disagreements regarding fund distribution. The 11 counties without a Hundred team are pursuing independent counsel to guarantee fair treatment from the seven hosting counties and MCC. This move underscores the importance of ensuring equitable distribution of resources, highlighting the need for transparent negotiations to address concerns and uphold the interests of all involved parties.
After guiding Oval Invincibles to victory in the men’s Hundred, and with six years as Kent’s club captain, Billings sees private investment as a catalyst for rejuvenating county cricket. However, he cautions against potential repercussions, particularly for smaller clubs like Kent, if fund distribution widens existing financial gaps. Billings stresses the need for equitable allocation to preserve the sport’s integrity and fairness.
Sam Billings said, “The Hundred is here to stay. With private investment, if the money that is going to come into the game is used correctly – and that is the key thing – then it could benefit everyone incredibly, and be the revitalization of county cricket and of cricket in this country.”
He further said, “I’ve benefitted from the county system from the age of seven and it has produced so many players from every single corner of the country. Kent means the world to me. They’ve given me everything in my cricketing career and it’s my duty to do everything I can to try and repay that club and leave that in the best place possible.”
Leading Oval Invincibles since the inception of the Hundred, Billings views the team as a collaborative effort between Surrey and Kent. Kent’s contributions include supplying players to the Invincibles, with their chief executive, Simon Storey, serving on the board. Additionally, Matt Walker, Kent’s coach, is among the assistants to Tom Moody, further solidifying Kent’s involvement in the team’s operations.
He further said, “I went into the Hundred as an individual, but with the Oval Invincibles being a Kent-Surrey joint venture, a partnership. The cricketing structure, the backroom staff, the committee: it is all provided by Kent and Surrey, and based at The Oval. It has to be a relationship between all parties, and it just has to be fair.”
He added, “Kent outshines a lot of the Test-match grounds in terms of producing England cricketers recently – in both the male and female game – by a country mile. That is a key quality of everything we do at Kent: it has always been about trying to produce homegrown cricketers to play for England. If you don’t want to invest in that, that could be very worrying for the bigger picture overall.”
Recent Proposal and Potential Name Change:
In the recent proposals, the seven host counties and MCC are slated to receive a 51% share in their respective Hundred teams, with the flexibility to determine the extent of share sales. Surrey’s chairman, Oli Slipper, has expressed a desire to rebrand the team as ‘Surrey Invincibles’ should they attain majority ownership, signaling a potential shift in identity aligned with their increased stake in the team.
Billings said, “That just shouldn’t happen. Look, Surrey is a fantastic club and I haven’t got a bad word to say about them. They are the gold standard for any county cricket club from a business point of view and their production line of England cricketers is arguably the best in recent years.”
He further said, “But being such a powerful player in the game, you’ve got to use that as an opportunity to uplift others who need it more – you’ve got a moral responsibility, in my opinion. I haven’t been in the counties’ meetings on the Hundred but I hope that the big clubs balance their own ambitions with making sure it’s a fair deal for everyone – and for English cricket as a whole, not just individual entities.”
Last month, Kent faced disappointment when the ECB passed over them in their bid to host a ‘Tier One’ women’s team from 2025, leaving chairman Simon Philip disheartened. The club had pinned hopes on their second home in Beckenham, southeast London, for the bid. A substantial dividend from the sale of Hundred Teams would aid Kent’s efforts to enhance facilities at Beckenham.
Billings said, “Beckenham is really exciting in terms of the potential of the club. It should be right at the forefront of our plans both for the male and female game – it has to be. We’ve got three million people in the local catchment area and it’s a great opportunity for Kent.”
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