This year, we will begin inviting applications to join our General Committee from the end of September 2024.
Here, current Committee member Diana Peasey discusses her experiences and her route to the committee.
I never had any ambition to be a member of the Committee at Nottinghamshire.
But one summer, I was approached by two people who thought I was an ideal candidate. I had asked a lot of questions at the members’ forums where the Chief Executive Lisa Pursehouse and team explained the latest developments about cricket, the club and national trends. My reaction when asked was to seek time to think about it. Two months later I agreed to stand.
I was a lay union official representing journalists across the board in Nottinghamshire at a time when newspapers and broadcasters were making redundancies. I was also on the National Union of Journalists’ executive committee and its Policy sub-committee, with an emphasis on the plight of foreign journalists who’d been arrested, jailed or killed while speaking out against their respective Governments.
I was a very busy person who loved cricket – but for me it was also therapeutic. I had gone through three family bereavements within thirteen years and I had to make a formal complaint about two of the deaths. I could sit in the pavilion area chilling out and watching my favourite cricketers scoring runs or taking wickets. I would sit in my own bubble and could make friends with people who shared my passion. “Come on Notts!” I would occasionally shout.
Serving on the committee then became my focus and I drafted my election address. I spoke to members around the ground as I was collecting money from members for Chris Read, the legendary Notts wicket keeper who was retiring from playing cricket. I was able to explain how suited I was to being a member of the committee.
I had represented people all my life and held positions of responsibility. At schools in Dorset and Germany I was a school prefect (my father was in the army – so we did a lot of moving around). I was also the hockey captain at the Bovington school and later at Sussex University.
At the Leicester Mercury where I was a reporter, I soon became the Chair of the Leicestershire NUJ branch. It was a fortuitous time with the arrival of Ray Illingworth, who transformed the fortunes of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, winning cups and championships.
My career took me to Radio Trent, the commercial radio station in Nottingham, and to the BBC, initially as a freelancer across the country and then as a staff member in Nottingham. I became the union official there, firstly for staff at BBC Radio Nottingham, then BBC television in Nottingham.
I was used to meetings with management, talking about structural change, new ways of working, the introduction of new technology and responding to redundancies. I was the union’s representative on the BBC’s panel dealing with enhancing the pay and status of broadcast journalists in the Midlands. I then became the Chair of the Nottingham NUJ branch – a role I had for 25 years before I stood down.
So how does all this relate to my role as a member of the committee at Notts?
I have been a committee member for more than five years now. I was first elected in 2019 and re-elected twice since then. Simply, I listen to the concerns of Notts supporters and take them up with the Executive team. It is important for the voice of members to be heard, understood and responded to. I sit in the pavilion area so people can come up to me and raise whatever issues they have. Sometimes, it is just a stream of consciousness, but then we can get down to the nitty gritty of the problem.
I’ve had a reasonable amount of success in raising issues such as stopping the need to book tickets for the T20 in the Pavilion area, getting an Honours board for women cricketers, getting an honour for Enid Bakewell, a former England cricketer, as well as ensuring that those with disabilities can access toilets at key times during and after a game at Trent Bridge.
I see my role as representing members at Nottinghamshire irrespective of their background or where they sit. If something needs to be sorted, I will do my best to get something done. But at the same time, it is essential for everyone to be aware of the key issues in cricket at this present time, including The Hundred, the emergence of franchise cricket around the globe and concerns about the future of Test cricket. We live in challenging and changing times.
My advice to all would-be candidates is to show your understanding of cricket, attend matches, and follow some of the arguments in the national press but be aware they are often misleading or inaccurate. The Nominations Panel will also ask typical HR questions about yourself, the qualities you can bring to the committee and your expertise.
Further information on how to apply for General Committee will be available at trentbridge.co.uk/committee from the end of September.