2021 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2021 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 54 stated the club’s sense of responsi- bility for making cricket a game that was accessible and enjoyable for all – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability or financial resources. The merger between Nottingham- shire County Cricket Club and the county’s recreational Board had been completed, meaning the club had become the single organisation with overall responsibility for cricket at all levels within its county. Ms Pursehouse outlined a commit- ment to working with the committed volunteers throughout the recreational game, supported by the newly-formed Recreational Cricket Advisory Group and theTrent Bridge Community Trust, to jointly expand cricket and community activities throughout the county. Whilst highlighting positive outcomes and uplifting moments generated in adversity in 2020, Ms Pursehouse said there was little time for reflec- tion, with preparations to ensure that those achievements were built upon already well underway in all areas. On the field, having claimed one of the two trophies on offer in 2020, taking the haul to five in the past eleven years, the club’s priority would be to take further strides forward in relation to red-ball performances, whilst maintaining the club’s reputation for entertaining cricket of consistent quality in the limited-overs game. Off the field, whilst the modest profit announced for 2020 was a remarkable achievement in the circumstances, it represented a significant shortfall in relation to the club’s medium- and long-term projections, and that would need to be made up in subsequent years despite the difficult financial climate. Bouncing back from a year of such reduced activity would present significant challenges which the club was determined to overcome.This would mean implementing a safe and phased reopening of both cricket and non-cricket commercial functions in line with government guidance, whilst continuing to minimise costs as much as possible. With the return of Test and Interna- tional T20 cricket toTrent Bridge, together with four men’s and women’s double-headers inThe Hundred and the final of the Royal London Cup, developing plans to deliver memo- rable major match cricket had once again come to the fore. The manner in which the country would emerge from lockdown was still not completely clear, and the way in which professional sport would fit into that equation was something about which more infor- mation would be gathered via the ECB’s regular contact with the government department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in due course.The element of uncertainty in relation to the pandemic was a concern, but Ms Pursehouse remained optimistic. With regards the domestic structure for 2021, there was a Plan A in the shape of the full schedule that was announced in two parts either side of the NewYear.This comprised 14 fixtures in both the County Championship starting in April and the Vitality Blast starting in June, together with a midsummer 50-over competition including eight group- stage fixtures followed by knockout rounds and a showpiece final at Trent Bridge. Whilst the club were hopeful that all of this could take place as planned, there were contingency plans, driven by the club’s absolute determina- tion to play with as many spectators present as possible. The club were planning for full houses, but were preparing for other eventualities and Ms Pursehouse could offer assurances that members would be the first priority in the event of any reduced-capacity fixtures. Should the situation come to pass that a reduced and socially-distanced crowd was the only option, a network of safety, operational and cricketing factors would come into play – all applied within the context of a determination to ensure that the experience for members and supporters was as enjoyable as possible. A pilot event in this regard had been planned for the Vitality Blast quarter-final at Trent Bridge in 2020, but the opportunity was taken away by a strengthening in restrictions from central government. This did mean, however, that some of the club’s plans for such an event were well developed. Ms Pursehouse stated that, whilst members may need to think flexibly in terms of when to arrive, where to sit and how to walk around the venue, the club’s staff would be on hand to help. Whilst reflecting upon the events of the past 12 months, and looking forward to happier times ahead, Ms Pursehouse wished to acknowl- edge the work and endeavours of the club’s staff, both on and off the field. A near 20% reduction to the head- count of permanent staff was the result of the immensely difficult but sadly necessary programme of redundancies. She wished to thank all those whose roles were affected and wished them well as they em- barked on the next stage of their lives. In addition, the club’s matchday workforce of stewards, cricket support staff and volunteers had mostly been absent from the venue for almost 12 months.Their friendly and approachable manner person- ified the spirit of Trent Bridge and they, together with the sense of community that a season at the venue brings, had been greatly missed. While the club’s number one priority in the months ahead would be cricket, the return of other business functions – such as meetings and events, weddings and Restaurant Six – were fundamental to the club’s growth strategy and critical to recovery. Ms Pursehouse said that, although the hospitality & catering industry had been among the hardest hit in the country and rebuilding would take time, demand for these func- tions remained strong. Hospitality bookings for the coming season were tracking ahead of what the club would anticipate in a normal year and, at the point that government