MCC to address 'ridiculous' gender divide at AGM

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is set to formulate plans to drastically increase the number of women among its members as it attempts to address what senior club figures have called a "ridiculous" gender divide.

A discussion on the subject of female membership has been slated on the agenda for the club's annual general meeting (AGM) at Lord's on Wednesday.

The MCC voted to allow women to join the club in 1998, having been an all-male preserve for more than two centuries.

But of its current 18,350 full members, fewer than 3% are women.

At a pre-AGM meeting last month, leading MCC committee figures were left exasperated at just how slow progress has been.

Sources at the MCC have since told BBC Sport it is "frankly ridiculous" that so few members are women and the issue is one the club cannot ignore but must "meet head on".

Frustrations have centred on how to make non-playing membership available to more women, with the club largely hamstrung by a lengthy waiting list which stands at approximately 29 years.

A paper has been prepared in advance of the AGM and the meeting will be used as a platform to discuss the issue, gather the views of members and devise a model to reduce the gender divide.

While the AGM will test the water, it is understood leading MCC figures are resolutely determined to develop practical solutions.

That could eventually include a new membership category, or shorter waiting times, for women to make a dent into the gender imbalance. Any such proposals would need the approval of members, with the notion of 'queue jumping' likely to have some detractors.

At the current rate, the MCC will achieve a 80-20% male-to-female ratio by the year 2075 which internally has been deemed unacceptable.

MCC chief executive Rob Lawson, chair Mark Nicholas and president Lord King are said to be among those who have made the issue a priority.

The MCC has already stepped up efforts to increase the number of women among its playing members - essentially a way for candidates to fast-track themselves to membership by representing the club in fixtures.

In 2024 there was a 77% increase in women applying to qualify as player members while the number of women's out-matches played by the MCC increased by 34%.

A dedicated recruitment officer for women's playing members - Emma Marsh - was appointed in 2024.

England's women have never played a Test match at Lord's - the Home of Cricket - although one is scheduled against India at the ground in 2026.

The MCC's workforce is closer to an even split, with 60% of its employees male and 40% of them female.

In June 2023, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) said in its report that the MCC had a pivotal role to play in eradicating sexism from the game.