The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) gave them central contracts in 2000 to give them more control over their top players.
Last week, the ECB signed 39 central contracts for male players, external For the 2026-27 season. 30 of them were full central contracts; the other nine were development contracts.
The ECB announced the women’s central contracts for the 2025-26 period at the end of November. Later, 17 players were on full contracts, while four players were on “skills” contracts, similar to men’s development contracts.
If a player receives an ECB center contract, the ECB effectively becomes their main employer from the county side they represent.
The ECB is expected to pay most or all of the player’s wages under the centralized contract, although this will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
They are designed to be forward-looking, meaning that when released each year, they are designed to reward current top performers and look at players who will play key roles in the near future.
Central contracts are multi-format and are awarded to male and female players.
For women’s contracts, a centrally-contracted player is understood to have a bigger pay rise than they would receive from their region, compared to the men’s game.
Central contracts mean that the ECB has greater control over on- and off-field factors for each player. These often include player workload, injury recovery, strength and conditioning and training resources and can be managed internally.