page_title: Marylebone Cricket Club
section_title: Membership
hierarchical_section_title: Marylebone Cricket Club / Membership
caption_attribution_description: MCC member at Lord's cricket ground in distinctive colours
context_page_description: Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket and still holds considerable global influence.
  In 1788, the MCC took responsibility for the laws of Cricket, issuing a revised version that year. Changes to these Laws are now determined by the International Cricket Council, but the copyright is still owned by MCC.
  For much of the 20th century, commencing with the 1903–04 tour of Australia and ending with the 1976–77 tour of India, MCC organised international tours on behalf of the England cricket team for playing Test matches. On these tours, the England team was called MCC in non-international matches. In 1993, its administrative and governance functions were transferred to the ICC and the Test and County Cricket Board.
  MCC teams are essentially ad hoc because they have never taken part in any formal competition, but have always held first-class status when playing against first-class opposition. To mark the beginning of each English season, MCC plays the reigning County Champions.
  The president of the club is Kumar Sangakkara.
context_section_description: MCC has 18,000 full members and 5,000 associate members. Members have voting rights and can use the Pavilion and other stands at Lord's Cricket Ground to attend all matches played there.
  In order to join the waiting list of candidates for membership one must obtain the vote (of which each full member has one a year) of three members, and the additional sponsorship of a person on the List of MCC Sponsors (which consists of members of all MCC Sub-Committees; MCC Committee; MCC Out-Match Representatives; and the Current, Past, and Designate President). As the demand for membership always outstrips supply each year, there continues to be a substantial waiting list for Full Ordinary Membership, currently around 27 years. There are, however, ways to lessen the time it takes to become a full member: one may qualify as a Playing Member, or Out-Match Member (although this carries none of the privileges of membership, apart from being able to play for the club). In addition, membership rules allow a certain number of people each year to be elected ahead of their turn; beneficiaries have included Sir Mick Jagger and, notably, in 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May. MCC also grants limited honorary membership to people who have had distinguished cricket careers. The club was a male-only bastion until the 1990s but it now recognises achievement in women's cricket with, for example, Charlotte Edwards an inductee in the 2010s.
caption: MCC member sporting its distinctive club blazer
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