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[Stuey]

What new fans ?

Will it really help grow participation ?

Some smoke and mirrors going on. It's a money making scheme for short term and that is all. Footy meat head beer swillers will like it though and they are where the money is to be made.

It will have a chance if it's made free to air on a major channel and blanket advertised, if not I agree it won't.

[ProCricketer1982]

It will have a chance if it's made free to air on a major channel and blanket advertised, if not I agree it won't.

If any of the current comps were it'd be same so don't let that fool you

[Leno]

If you look at the likes of Northants and Gloucestershire they are still really competitive in the t20 and 50 over comps if you get rid of these sorts of teams it will be the England teams that lose out because the youngsters won't be able to play for these teams

[edge]

Playing t20 in a block during the summer holidays, making it family friendly with cheap ticket prices to get the grounds full and young people watching, getting international stars playing and showing it on TV is what needs to happen, I think almost noone disagrees with that.

The discussion now just seems to be between 8 city teams (which the ECB wants) or 18 sides in two divs (which probably 90% of county fans would prefer?). I just don't see how having teams cover less of the country is going to grow the game - Somerset for example is full of cricket-mad people and families but I don't see them going up to Cardiff to watch the 'Dragons' or whoever play! Yes they can still go and watch Somerset play in the lesser competition, but then if everyone is doing that then what's the point of the big city teams? All you're doing then is having two tiers of competition but with no promotion/relegation to keep the lower teams honest.

Can't see any benefit of cutting to city teams only that you couldn't do with two divisions - maybe you'll raise the standards with only the best players is the only possible plus, but make player registration for t20 and first class separate and you'll do that anyway with two divisions, the top division would be the stronger. Don't see the franchise type model working well in England with only 8 teams and player auctions and all that nonsense. The Aussies saw the IPL, thought they needed a t20 league and created their own version to fit Australia, why can't we do the same rather than just copying the BBL?

[ScottParko]

I feel sorry for that 1 international ground that isn't going to get a 'franchise'..... Especially when it's probably going to be my home ground! Nothing north of Leeds.

[mdg20]

What new fans ?

Will it really help grow participation ?

Some smoke and mirrors going on. It's a money making scheme for short term and that is all. Footy meat head beer swillers will like it though and they are where the money is to be made.

Exactly the ECB are kidding themselves if they think suddenly millions of fans will come out of the woodwork

[ProCricketer1982]

Exactly the ECB are kidding themselves if they think suddenly millions of fans will come out of the woodwork

I think they'll attract people to games but they won't be fans or anyone even likely to follow test cricket or play amateur cricket. It'll attract beer swilling meat heads who will pump money in. So they aren't wrong about new followers... They just won't be people who will grow or play the game

Footy fan culture is what they want to attract and 2020 is the game for that.

[Churchy1989]

Exactly the ECB are kidding themselves if they think suddenly millions of fans will come out of the woodwork

I think it would appeal more to those who don't frequently go, bring your kid for a quid type of scenario.

[ProCricketer1982]

I think it would appeal more to those who don't frequently go, bring your kid for a quid type of scenario.

Kids and beer meat heads don't mix

[Kieron_BT]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/37696605

Sounds like it might be delayed till 2020 - More details to follow!

[LiamGuy]

http://www.alloutcricket.com/blogs/2020-vision

Interesting article on it all

Very interesting read indeed

[mdg20]

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/revealed-how-the-new-twenty20-format-will-work-kgf7mnpxf?shareToken=cd9d149bb8a0d5b9ef8971b8e30919da

So the details are out today.

My thoughts are that the ECB have outdone themselves once more.

They have effectively killed domestic 50over cricket as that will have no England or Franchise players in it.
T20 Blast could in theory could see more stars in it if England players are allowed in that and there's only one less overseas player. Surrey for example could have 3 or 4 England players plus 2 world class overseas players play a London derby at the Oval in front of 20K+ whilst a LondonT20 franchise with no Eng players plays at Beckenham.
Will county chairman on franchise boards have their own counties interest at heart? Will poor ones push for their players to be picked to get them off the wage bill whilst say Surrey discourage it in order to keep players to win 50 over comp.
Should county chairman from teams like Durham and Essex who are poor at managing their county be allowed anywhere near joint running a franchise?
Is having back to back T20 comps going to make franchise later stages boring in terms of overkill of T20 cricket.

At least there will be some free to air coverage

[edge]

Well this sounds meeeental. Are groundsmen at test grounds (let's be honest, the test grounds will be the ones used) really incapable of producing a decent track for t20s?
http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2017/content/story/1083052.html

[csnew]

Every ground to have a proper road of a pitch! Get rid of the bowlers and put up a bowling machine

[Sam]

No details seem to be out on the vote yet but the telegraph (who seem to have been interestingly accurate on ECB matters in recent years) have listed the 8 probable teams as :

North London
South London
Trent Bridge
Birmingham
South
Red Rose
White Rose
West