CLUB chairmen in the JCT600 Bradford League are being invited to a meeting on Thursday, December 11 to discuss their bid to achieve ECB Premier League status.

The first year of the Premier League is earmarked for 2016 and Bradford League development officer Alan Birkinshaw told the league's annual meeting at Pudsey Congs that it was an exciting step to take.

"Premier League status is very important and, since our last meeting, a lot has been taking place behind the scenes," he said.

"The Bradford League will be one of the four Premier Leagues within Yorkshire and Andrew Watson (the Yorkshire Cricket Board's executive director of strategic partnerships and development) will be present at our meeting on December 11.

"It has been made a priority for those wishing to join the Premier Leagues to have Clubmark and resources will be put into place for clubs to get them – and not just for those clubs who are likely to be playing in the Premier League in its first year of 2016.

"Clubmark will help the league and the clubs to get funding."

The proposed Premier Leagues are the Bradford League, North Yorkshire & South Durham, which is already a Premier League, Yorkshire League North and Yorkshire League South.

"The ECB will be coming to see the Bradford League to moderate our ground ratings for clubs," said Birkinshaw.

"We would like to have everything in place as a league by February 28 next year so that everyone knows what they are playing for in the 2015 season, with our Premier League being implemented in the 2016 season.

"It is also a prerequisite that the ECB's Play Cricket website is used – but that will only be for results, fixtures and tables.

"It is important that our clubs move together on the Premier League and united together is the important message."

Birkinshaw revealed the important part that Yorkshire County Cricket Club and their chief executive Mark Arthur have played in all this.

He also confirmed that a full-strength Yorkshire team will face a Bradford League XI on Monday, May 18 next year as part of the county's preparation for their NatWest T20 Blast campaign.