ECB National Club Championship draw 2024
17 December 2023
The draw has been made for the 2024 ECB National Club Championships and we will be at home on the 12th May to the winners of two preliminary matches between:
Royal Whotton Basset vs Fareham & Crofton
and Basingstoke & NH
FULL DRAW
Competition Format
The draw has been split into 16 groups which have been done regionally. As a result, some groups have more teams in them due to the number of entries from that part of the country. This means that some groups will have more Preliminary Round matches required than others.
The entry numbers are up significantly compared to the 2023 season (around 50 more entries) and as a result, many clubs that played in the competition last season will find that they are required to play an extra match in the early stages. This means that we have an increase in both Preliminary Round 1 and Preliminary Round 2 matches. The majority of ECB Premier League (top division) clubs will find that they don’t have a Preliminary Round 1 fixture, however this is not always the case as the groups with the most teams (particularly in the North West region) will find that a small number of the Premier League sides have a fixture in that First Preliminary Round. The draw is, where possible, seeded and this is generally based on your performance in the competition in 2023 but may also be based on your league finishing position last season.
The methodology for the draw is where possible clubs have been drawn to play against a club from a different league. This is not always possible due to a higher number of entries from one particular league, but where this has been done you will find in the majority of cases you are playing against a club from a different division within your league.
The draw is not redrawn after each round, so you can therefore work out if you are going to be home or away as you progress through the competition, the first named club in all fixtures will be at home. From Round 4 onwards, the national stages draw will be published to those clubs reaching that stage of the competition.
The dates for each of the rounds in the competition this season are:
Preliminary Round 1 – Sunday 14th April
Preliminary Round 2 – Sunday 28th April
Round 1 – Sunday 12th May
Round 2 – Sunday 26th May
Round 3 – Sunday 16th June
Round 4 – Sunday 7th July
Quarter Final – Sunday 28th July
Semi Final – Sunday 18th August
Final – TBC
