2023 ANNUAL REPORT

MINUTES OF THE 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 59 Covid had left a legacy of issues across society which were being exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.Those issues were under- standably impacting a significant number of our members and supporters, as well as the club’s finances. The absence of a men’s Test Match at Trent Bridge in 2023, and the stark financial impact this would cause, would make it clear just how critical the hosting of men’s red-ball cricket at the highest level continued to be to the club’s financial prosperity. However, it remained the case that there is only so muchTest Match cricket to go around – and even that supply is far from guaranteed to continue at its current level, such is the perilous financial state of many overseas Boards and the increase in global ICC tournaments and domestic white-ball competitions. The impact of these changes was already being witnessed and was affecting both the men’s and women’s game from the pathway to international level. From a player perspective, these opportunities were unprecedented. For example, the Indian Premier League wage of £1.85m offered to Sam Curran equated to more than double that of an England central contract, while the £320k offered to Nat Sciver-Brunt to play in India’s Women’s Premier League was almost four times the value of her central contract. White-ball leagues around the world were providing increasingly rich rewards in exchange for far less mental and physical wear and tear, and all clubs would increasingly find themselves competing for the services of the best talent within that marketplace. We must remember, the Chief Executive continued, that profes- sional sport was a short career, and the salaries being offered to many of the best young players were life changing. Cricketers now had more choice of what and where to play than ever before, and that must be considered if we wanted the majority to continue playing all formats of domestic cricket. The issues of welfare and the impact of volume on high performance were not going away, and the game must protect its most precious assets. This included not only players, but also coaching and support staff and venue teams – in particular our ground staff. It was against this backdrop that the High-Performance Review was instigated, causing a great deal of debate and highlighting the long- term challenge of finding balance in the playing schedule. Although the report made 17 recommendations, discussions very quickly focussed on those relating to the domestic structure and the volume of County Championship matches. From a personal and professional perspective, the Chief Executive was sorry that attempts to polarise viewpoints and create division had prevented the game from having an open and transparent debate with its members and supporters. The sport we love was changing at a rapid pace, she continued, and we did need to have those conver- sations. As members would be aware, many more discussions around this topic doubtless lay ahead, and the Chief Executive said that she hoped this could be done in the right spirit as we worked together to collectively find solutions for the long-term good of the game and for all concerned. The ECB now had a new Chief Executive [Richard Gould] and Chair [RichardThompson] at the helm, each of whom the Chief Executive knew had the best interests of county cricket very much at heart.They had understandably opted to take some pace out of the process, giving the game more time to debate and consider the myriad issues which required addressing. As we negotiated those challenges as a sport, we continued to do so against a backdrop of cricket making headlines for the wrong reasons – as allegations of racism, inequity and discrimination made their way into the public domain. After almost 18 months of evidence- gathering, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket would publish their report in the near future. Ms Pursehouse cautioned that, for all of us that loved the game and for those for whom cricket was a fundamental part of our lives, it would not be an easy read – and that we must be prepared to listen, learn and address the matters raised, irrespective of how difficult that may be. However, she continued that the report would offer cricket a starting point from which it could propel itself towards becoming the UK’s most inclusive and representative sport. In this regard, one of the club’s most critical strategic pillars in the last few years had been the women and girls’ game. We had made great strides through our work in the recreational game and by winning the bid to become the East Midlands’ elite regional hub for women’s cricket, making us the base of The Blaze. We had also been installed as the venue of choice for the sole Test Match of theWomen’s Ashes this summer. As the popularity of women’s sport soared during the years ahead, the Chief Executive said that cricket must do all it could to create equal opportunity; be it as players, attendees, volunteers or followers. The club wanted to lead in this regard and there is little doubt that women’s internationals would come to be seen as major matches in their own right in the not-too-distant future, with all the associated benefits that are currently seen when hosting men’s internationals. For girls and young women to be able to see that a career in pro-