Clare Connor, the ECB Deputy Chief Executive and Managing Director of England Women, will depart from her role after the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup later this year.
Connor enjoyed a ten-year playing career, making 111 International appearances across all formats while also working as a school teacher. After her tenure as England captain, she moved into Cricket administration.
She has dedicated over 18 years to the ECB, playing a significant role in professionalizing women’s cricket. Her efforts included establishing central contracts for England Women and securing professional contracts for domestic female players.
Connor has received multiple honors, including MBE, OBE, and CBE, for her contributions to women’s sports. She was the first female member of the ICC Cricket Committee and later chaired the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee. In 2021-22, she served as the first female president of the MCC and acted as the ECB’s Interim Chief Executive from 2022-23.
Connor remarked, “Having fallen in love with the game in a quite different era from the one we are in now, my goals as an administrator have been firmly rooted in making cricket more equal for women and girls. It is rewarding to know that cricket is now a more inclusive and gender-balanced sport. This has been the job of a lifetime, so deciding to leave has been an extremely hard decision.”
As England captain, Connor led the team to their first Ashes victory in 42 years in 2005 and retired in 2006 at 29. She started her ECB career in 2008 as the first employee focused solely on women’s cricket development.
She responded to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report that highlighted discrimination in the sport. Additionally, she oversaw a structural assessment of the England Women’s team after their recent Ashes defeat, which led to the appointment of Charlotte Edwards as Head Coach and Nat Sciver-Brunt as captain.
The Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in England from June 12 to July 5. The team is aiming for its first global trophy since the 2017 ODI World Cup and their first T20 World Cup title since 2009, when they last hosted the tournament.
