Emirates Cricket Board

What Emirates Cricket Board does

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is the official national governing body for cricket in the United Arab Emirates and an ICC Associate Member since 1990. The organization oversees all cricket governance activities in the country — including player registration, tournament sanctioning, and national team selection — and operates three representative teams: UAE Men's, UAE Women's, and UAE U19 Men's. ECB manages a portfolio of domestic tournaments including the flagship D-Events series (D10, D20, D50 formats), the Inter-Emirate Age-Group League, the ECB Two-Day Championship, and development programs such as the Emirati Development Program (school-based with the Ministry of Education), Women's Development Program, and Domestic Men's Series. Its competitive footprint extends internationally through ICC and ACC tournaments, ICC CWC League 2 (as a pathway to the 2027 Cricket World Cup), and bilateral series (e.g., UAE vs Ireland T20Is).

ECB's operations are federated through seven emirate-level councils — Abu Dhabi Cricket, Dubai Cricket, Sharjah Cricket, Ajman Cricket, and cricket communities in Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ras Al Khaimah — supported by 50 registered academies and an active participant base of 90,000+ individuals across 3,000+ amateur teams. ECB generates revenue primarily through tournament hosting and commercialization (gate receipts, broadcast), title and kit sponsorships (STARTRADER, Bisleri, Dafa News, DP World), and ICC/ACC Associate Member funding for development programs. Technology infrastructure is limited to a public-facing website hosting news, fixtures, team pages, and an online player registration portal; no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML systems are described in source material.

Governance is provided by a Board of Directors chaired by Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, with Vice-Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni, COO Subhan Ahmad, and Board Members Omar Al Askari, Tayeb Kamali, Waleed Bukhatir, and Zayed Abbas, supported by National Development Manager Andrew Russell. The organization is not publicly traded and operates as an independent federation under the ICC Associate Member framework.

Name

Emirates Cricket Board

Legal name

Emirates Cricket Board

Website

https://emiratescricket.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Emirates Cricket Board is the official national governing body for cricket in the UAE and an ICC Associate Member since 1990, organizing domestic tournaments (D10, D20, D50) and managing the UAE Men's, Women's, and U19 national representative teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation Governance

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD), Cricket Leagues (MPAKAAAF)

Keywords

• Cricket governance
• Domestic cricket tournaments
• National cricket team
• Player development programs
• Cricket talent pathway

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tournament and Event Revenue: The board generates revenue through organizing and hosting domestic cricket tournaments (D10, D20, D50, Inter-Emirate League, D50, D10, and other series), which attract sponsors and generate gate revenues.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: The Emirates Cricket Board secures sponsorship and partnership agreements with companies such as STARTRADER, Bisleri, Dafa News, and DP World. These partners sponsor team kits, tournaments, and events.
3. ICC and ACC Membership Revenue: As an ICC Associate Member since 1990, the board receives funding and support from the International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council for development initiatives, tournament hosting, and high-performance programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emirates Cricket Board is the national cricket governing body of the United Arab Emirates and an ICC Associate Member since 1990. It organizes domestic cricket tournaments (D10, D20, D50, Inter-Emirates League, ECB Two-Day Championship), manages the UAE Men's, Women's, and U19 national representative teams for ICC and ACC competitions, and runs development programs (Emirati Development Program, Women's Development Program, Inter-Emirate League) along with an online player registration system serving over 90,000 active cricketers, 3,000+ amateur teams, and 50 registered academies across the UAE.

Product overview

The Emirates Cricket Board is the national cricket governing body for the United Arab Emirates, recognized as an ICC Associate Member since 1990. The organization operates a portfolio of cricket products and services organized around domestic tournaments (D10, D20, D50 formats), representative national teams (Men's, Women's, and U19), and development programs (Inter-Emirates League, Emirati Development Program, Women's Development Program, and Domestic Men's Series). The D-Events series (D10, D20, D50) form the cornerstone of the UAE domestic cricket calendar, providing competitive platforms for talent identification and development. The organization also manages player registration systems and organizes international cricket events and tournaments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• D10 Tournament A ten-over format domestic cricket tournament organized by Emirates Cricket Board as part of the D-Events series, providing a highly competitive platform for the UAE's best talent. The 2026 edition (Dafa News D10 Tournament) was hosted at Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 26 January to 7 February 2026.
• D20 Tournament A twenty-over format domestic cricket tournament organized by Emirates Cricket Board as part of the D-Events series, designed to discover and develop home-grown talent.
• D50 Tournament The Emirates Cricket Board's premier 50-over domestic cricket tournament featuring six representative regional teams (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Emirates Blues, Fujairah, Sharjah) competing for the championship. Emirates Blues won the 2026 trophy in April 2026.
• ECB Two-Day Championship A two-day white-ball cricket tournament designed to develop the mindset and skills required for longer-format cricket, featuring elite UAE men's cricketers competing in four teams.
• Inter-Emirates League An annual national-level tournament providing a platform for the best 14 to 17-year-old male cricketers to perform at national level. Players are selected from each Council's tournaments and leagues structure.
• Player Registration System Online player registration system for cricket players in the UAE, requiring completion of registration form with personal details, nationality, Emirates ID, visa status, and headshot photo.
• Emirati Development Program A schools-based cricket development program working with the Ministry of Education to deliver cricket skills and fitness sessions to Emirati youth across schools in the region.
• Women's Development Program The women's cricket development calendar aims to introduce the game to athletic-minded girls across the Emirates and provide a strong pathway for players, including girls-only skill camps and short-format tournaments.
• Domestic Men's Series National-level domestic cricket series in 10-over, 20-over, and 50-over formats where the Emirates Cricket Head Coach works with Councils to put forward youth and first-class players for development.

Quantifiable outcome

• UAE Men's team achieved a historic 2-1 T20I series win over Bangladesh in May 2025, playing in Sharjah
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• STARTRADERflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 January 2026STARTRADER, a global broker, has a renewed partnership with the UAE Men's National Cricket Team for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. As part of the agreement, STARTRADER's branding appears on the official team jerseys throughout the tournament. ECB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad stated the partnership reflects shared values of discipline, focus, and resilience and will help in the growth of cricket in the UAE.
• BisleriminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBisleri is an official sponsor/partner of Emirates Cricket Board, appearing as a partner logo on the ECB website. The nature of the partnership involves sponsorship of cricket events and activities.
• Dafa NewscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDafa News is the title sponsor of the ECB D10 Tournament (Dafa News D10 Tournament). The 2026 edition of the tournament was hosted at Sharjah Cricket Stadium from 26 January to 7 February 2026. Dafa News has previously sponsored the D10 tournament.
• DP WorldcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDP World is the title sponsor of the DP World Asia Cup Rising Stars Women's 2026 tournament. The eight-team women's cricket tournament was played in Bangkok, Thailand. The partnership supports women's cricket development in the region.
• Abu Dhabi CricketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbu Dhabi Cricket is one of the core cricket councils supporting Emirates Cricket Board. The council manages cricket tournaments and leagues, and contributes players to the national team. Abu Dhabi won the D50 tournament in April 2025 as defending champions.
• Dubai CricketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDubai Cricket is one of the core cricket councils supporting Emirates Cricket Board. The council manages cricket tournaments and leagues within Dubai and contributes players to the national team.
• Sharjah Cricket StadiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharjah Cricket Stadium is a core cricket venue and council supporting Emirates Cricket Board. The stadium, one of three world-class stadia in the UAE, regularly hosts international and domestic cricket matches. The Bukhatir Premier League is managed through this council.
• Ajman Cricket CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAjman Cricket Council is one of the cricket councils supporting Emirates Cricket Board, managing cricket tournaments and leagues within Ajman and contributing players to national representation.
• ICCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body for cricket. Emirates Cricket Board has been an ICC Associate Member since 1990. The ICC provides funding, tournament access, and development support to ECB through its Associate Member programs.
• ACCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is the regional governing body for cricket in Asia. Emirates Cricket Board participates in ACC tournaments including the ACC Women's Premier Cup and ACC Women's U19 Premier Cup as pathway events for the Asia Cup.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI): Dominant ICC Full Member governing cricket in India and operator of the Indian Premier League. Same governing-body model as ECB, but at vastly greater scale; useful as the upper-bound reference for cricket federation economics and broadcast rights.
• Cricket West Indies: ICC Full Member governing West Indies cricket. Comparable national federation model across multiple territories with Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise competition, but operates at significantly larger scale than ECB.

Direct peers

• Cricket Scotland: ICC Associate Member governing cricket in Scotland. Similar institutional profile to ECB — small federation with limited playing base, multi-format domestic competitions, and reliance on ICC development funding.
• USA Cricket: ICC Associate Member governing cricket in the United States. Comparable in running a multi-format domestic structure (MLC) and an emerging women's program, with similar diversity-driven participation model.
• Zimbabwe Cricket: ICC Full Member (Test status) governing cricket in Zimbabwe. Comparable operational scale (men's, women's, age-group teams) but at the next tier up from ECB; useful benchmark for what an Associate-tier system can become with promotion.
• Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN): ICC Associate Member governing cricket in Nepal. Closely comparable Associate-tier federation with similar pathway-development challenges, women's program growth, and reliance on ICC development support.
• Hong Kong Cricket: ICC Associate Member governing cricket in Hong Kong. Similar diaspora-driven cricket community, urban-market venue model, and Associate-tier pathway challenges as ECB.
• Kenya Cricket: Former ICC Full Member (currently suspended) governing cricket in Kenya. Comparable participant-base scale and developmental challenges, illustrating the Associate/former-Full-Member risk path ECB could face.
• Singapore Cricket Association: ICC Associate Member governing cricket in Singapore. Comparable expat-driven participation base in a non-traditional cricket market, with similar grassroots-development focus and modest international footprint.
• Cricket Ireland: ICC Associate Member (since 1993) governing cricket in Ireland. Closest functional peer to ECB — fellow small-nation federation running men's, women's, and age-group national teams and competing for Full Member status through ICC pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EmiratesCricket
• Facebookfacebook.com/emiratescricket
• Instagraminstagram.com/emiratescricket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uaecricketofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emirates Cricket Board