Overseas Players

Overseas Player Form

https://forms.gle/cCjTCGbZGsUbL4TF8

Registration of Players Definitions

Category 1:
A cricketer is Category 1 qualified if: (i) they are a British citizen and were born in England or Wales; or (ii) they have been resident in England and Wales since 1 April 2024 for a minimum of 210 days between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Any player who has played in any overseas cricket league as a ‘home’, ‘local’ or ‘non-overseas’ player in that overseas league in the 12-month period up to and including 31 March 2025 will not be permitted to play as a Category 1 player in any ECB Competition match in the current season.
A club is permitted to play a maximum of one Category 3 player in all ECB Competition matches.

The Premier League Registration Secretary or Premier League Executive Committee will be responsible for determining whether a player has met the necessary requirements and shall have full discretion in the matter.

Category 3:

Category 3: Players not eligible to be registered as a Category 1 Player must be registered as a “Category 3 Player” if they wish to take part in the League. Teams may register more than one Category 3 Player as part of their club (subject to League rules) but must not field more than one (1) Category 3 Player in the 1st XI at any one time. Clubs must fill in this form to register a Cat 3 player - before then registering them on Play Cricket.

Information on Overseas Players For Clubs

Overseas Coach/Player

The Government's Points Based Managed Migration system means that cricket clubs will need to obtain a sponsor licence from the UK Borders Agency in order to bring cricketers and coaches from outside the EU into the country.

As part of this process, clubs must obtain from the ECB, a Governing Body Endorsement BOTH for their sponsor licence and for individual players and coaches.

Following Home Office approval of ECB's Governing Body Endorsement requirement process, the guidance document, together with application pack to be used when applying for these endorsements, are found at the foot of this page.

For further information on the Points Based Managed Migration System, please see the Home Office website.

Annexes 2, 5 and 6 are for use for County Cricket Boards endorsement applications.

Annexes 1,4,5 and 6 are used for First Class endorsement applications.

Annexes 3, 7 and 8 are for use for Non-First Class endorsement applications.

Annex 9 is for use in all relevant applications.

The ECB cannot provide advice or guidance on immigration routes, processes or an individual’s status. You will need to contact an OISC registered immigration adviser using the contact information listed in ‘Useful Contacts’.

Applications for the 2025 season can be submitted from 1 September 2024. All endorsements for players, coaches and coach-players will be issued with effect from 1^st September 2024 to a maximum of 30^th September 2025 or to the length of the contract, whichever date is sooner. ECB Level 2 Core Coach and Foundation Coach Courses will be available to book via the CVENT system, when course dates are confirmed.

For clubs going through this process for the first time please click here for a Step by Step Guide (PDF).

Current processing times for all endorsement applications are 7-10 working days from receipt of complete applications, (this includes payment)

PLEASE NOTE: UPDATE for 2025- recreational clubs: Sponsor endorsements are no longer needed to be renewed.
Due to the rolling on of sponsor licences by the Home Office, sponsor licence endorsements no longer need to be renewed. However, to ensure that clubs continue to meet the expected level required to bring migrants over via the ISP, the club endorsement criteria will now also be applied to migrant applications.

PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM ANY THIRD PARTIES INCLUDING AGENTS. APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED DIRECTLY BY SPONSOR CLUBS.

Certificates of Sponsorship must be issued in line with the migrant endorsement, they should not be issued for longer. Player Only and Coach-Player endorsements will only be issued until the end of the season in which the application is received. Any club found to be issuing Certificates of Sponsorship for longer than the endorsement will be in breach of Home Office process and will be reported directly to them.

Additonal ECB Information

Useful contacts

ECB Governing Body Endorsements: managedmigration@ecb.co.uk

Immigration Enquiry Bureau / Sponsor & Employer Enquiries: 0300 123 4699 or BusinessHelpdesk@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.

The ECB is not registered to give advice on immigration. Information on aspects of immigration policy and law can be found on the Home Office website.

Clubs are advised to allow sufficient time for entry clearance to be granted. The time needed to obtain entry clearance may vary depending upon where the player is applying. Service standards for each post are set out on the Home Office website.

This site also contains a guide to Visa processing times for specific overseas posts.