2022 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2022 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 14 experience from those who have felt marginalised in the past, the game’s response to the ICEC report can put cricket on the front foot in terms of taking action to become more inclusive in the future. We remain determined that the people of our county – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexuality, geographical location or financial situation – can all feel welcome and part of our game. This continues to be a challenging but overwhelmingly positive and collective mission, and our Deputy Chief ExecutiveTim Eatherington’s Community Report provides detail regarding the extensive work taking place across the length and breadth of our county regarding participation in our game. Meanwhile, theTrent Bridge CommunityTrust is providing more support to residents of Nottingham- shire in need, having added school holiday meal and activity provision to its already extensive portfolio of pro- grammes throughout the past year. Our dedicated team of volunteers, coaches, players and staff once again have my sincere thanks for the way they came together in order to deliver memorable experiences to those that visited our venue, and who took part in our recreational, community and charitable activities, during the course of 2022. Away from the field of play, another high-profile issue to have developed this year has been the High- Performance Review and its recom- mendations. Commissioned by the ECB during the aftermath of a losing Ashes series down under, and led by former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss, the review sought to make recommendations for the game that would help England men’s teams achieve sustained success across all three formats of the game during the years ahead. The majority of the recommenda- tions were deemed both valuable and uncontroversial, and the ECB has begun the process of implementation in earnest. However, the issue that is dependent upon a vote among the 18 First-Class counties – that of the structure of the domestic game – remains, at the time of writing, unresolved. There is a myriad of competing and sometimes conflicting priorities, weighted differently across the spectrum of members, supporters, players, boards, administrators and staff dependent upon their roles, specific challenges and ideological standpoints. Each county club has its own financial and experiential challenges that it seeks to address through the implementation and delivery of the cricketing calendar. Consensus on the matter has, therefore, proven to be elusive throughout the year. From our own financial perspec- tive, it is pleasing to report that our post-pandemic recovery has been able to continue during the past 12 months and that this is reflected in accounts showing a healthy surplus for a second year in succession. However, as the overall rise in the cost of living affects us all as individuals and businesses alike, the financial footprint of running an elite sporting venue increases too. When combined with the reduction in disposable income affecting our supporter base, we will unavoidably be operating in a challenging climate for the foreseeable future. Our financial performance should always be viewed in the context of multi-year cycles.We will need the surplus we have generated this year to sustain us during a ‘fallow year’ with no Men’sTest Match in 2023. The support of our commercial partners, our members and the longstanding loyalty of our returning spectators from across the region will be more crucial than at any other time in recent memory. As we reflect on another successful year on and off the field, I hope we can all unite in pursuit of further cricketing and business excellence in 2023 as we look ahead to another pivotal year for our club, our venue and the wider game. “WE REMAIN DETERMINED THAT THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTY – REGARDLESS OF AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, DISABILITY, RELIGION, SEXUALITY, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OR FINANCIAL SITUATION – CAN ALL FEEL WELCOME AND PART OF OUR GAME.” Lisa Pursehouse