Flintoff appointed to Lancashire board

The ex-England and Red Rose all-rounder will join the board alongside James Sheridan, who has been the chairman of the LCCC Foundation since its inception in 2012.

Flintoff, who has become a television celebrity since retiring from the sport, made more than 200 appearances for England in all forms of the game, as well as captaining his country.

He also played for many years for Lancashire, featuring in more than 250 games.

His appointment is part of a restructure at the club which sees the Lancashire Cricket Board (LCB) and LCCC Foundation merging to form the Lancashire Cricket Foundation, a separate entity to the club, with an overall aim to deliver some extremely exciting growth in both participation and attendance across the game throughout the region in the coming years.

Bobby Cross, a partner at Sharp Cross and Mann LLP and current LCB board member, will be appointed as chairman of the new Lancashire Cricket Foundation.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has developed its national Cricket Unleashed strategy focusing on More Play, Great Teams and Inspired Fans. As a result the newly formed Lancashire Cricket Foundation will focus more on participation and growth of recreational cricket in the County rather than talent identification and elite player development.

The Elite Player Pathway (EPP), including all Lancashire age group teams, and all talent identification, will transfer from the LCB to the Club through the Academy. The Club will continue to work alongside the Lancashire Schools Cricket Association (LSCA) and U19 Federation to produce the next generation of Lancashire players.

As part of this new structure, current Lancashire County Cricket Club non-executive director and former Red Rose and England bowler Paul Allott, will take up the role of Director of Cricket, responsible for the overall talent identification and development through the Elite Player Pathway (EPP), as well as the growth of participation and recreational cricket.

Lancashire County Cricket Club Chairman, David Hodgkiss OBE, said: “Our vision is to be the best cricket club in the world. We want to inspire and provide the best possible experiences to people on and off the pitch.”

Now that the £60 million redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford has been completed, following the opening of the £15 million 150-bedroom Hilton Garden Inn hotel this summer, the chairman is now turning the Board’s focus to ensuring that the game of cricket can flourish and grow in the county.

Flintoff, who made his Lancashire debut in 1995, and famously won the Ashes in 2005 and again in 2009, said: “I am hugely honoured to have been asked to join the board and even more delighted to accept. I have talked to the chairman about the future and what the club and the new Lancashire Cricket Foundation wish to achieve, and it is a hugely exciting time for the game of cricket in Lancashire, and one that I am proud to be part of and contribute to.”