2023 ANNUAL REPORT

13 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT nor its response should be the limit of our aspirations, as we continue to take significant steps to make our venue and sport more equitable, diverse and inclusive. Our cricket development team and the Trent Bridge Community Trust, ably led by MandyWright, continue to offer a first point of contact for thousands of individuals across the whole county – from those of Afro-Caribbean heritage engaged in our delivery of Ebony Rainford- Brent’s pioneering ACE Programme, to individuals living with dementia taking the opportunity to enjoy mentally and physically stimulating activities through our Forget Me Notts initiative. We’ll continue to deliver such programmes and offer opportunities to engage throughout our communities, ensuring that our venue, and our sport, feels welcoming to all. We were prepared for a loss-making summer in 2023 – and in the absence of a men’s Test match, we welcomed our biggest crowds of the summer for England Men’s limited-overs outings and four Trent Rockets matchdays at our historic home.These matches contributed to a financial outturn that saw losses below those forecast, while still serving to demonstrate that we are built for, and rely upon, staging five-day England Men’s matches. We have many more of those major matchdays to look forward to, of course, having secured a long-term package of international fixtures through until 2031, one which encompasses two men’s AshesTests. With our 2024 schedule including a men’sTest at the height of summer, a visit from Australia Men and a Vitality Blast schedule which prioritises the Friday-night and weekend matches that showcase our venue so well, we now have a degree of certainty which allows us to plan for the longer term for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. However, Covid’s legacy of financial pressure remains, and the continuing and seemingly inexorable rise in inflation, utility costs and other over- heads will inevitably mean that we’re required to seek ways to increase our income in order to fund all that is important to us. We will continue to make best use of our venue on non-matchdays – building on the success of recent new events – but cricket will always remain at the forefront. To ensure that, all county clubs will require a clear strategy and ambition if they are to emerge from this decade with their prosperity intact.The financial and governance challenges that have cast a long shadow over some established counties in recent times serve as a stark reminder that we cannot afford to feel complacent despite having had a relatively settled period of profitability driven by the staging of Test cricket. As we look ahead, we have to accept that global market forces are bringing change, and we should not fear it but prepare for it.We will need to be flexible to retain the best on and off-field talent as our players, coaches and support staff take advantage of the overseas development opportunities available to them. We should open our venue to new teams and new supporters, and be the club that supports our people to be the best they can be.The flip-side of those concessions is to remain one of the leading clubs in the country, with staff that contribute to the global game, and for our venue to continue to play host to your favourite format of cricket, whatever that may be. This is of the utmost importance as we look to remain relevant in an ever-changing landscape and find ways to invest in our team, enhance our venue and deliver for our communities in the years ahead. Your steadfast support in 2023 has been invaluable as we’ve welcomed competing teams old and new to our home, showing we can blend the constant with the evolving. My thanks to you all. “WE SHOULD OPEN OUR VENUE TO NEW TEAMS AND NEW SUPPORTERS, AND BE THE CLUB THAT SUPPORTS OUR PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE.” Lisa Pursehouse