Trent Bridge Annual Report 2018

MINUTES OF THE 2018 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 15 strove to make families, those from South Asian communities and women and girls, ever more welcome. The broadcast partnerships secured with Sky and the BBC would provide significant additional revenue for all 18 FCCs and the MCC between 2020 and 2024 and, more importantly, return cricket to free-to-air TV. Ms Pursehouse was also pleased that there would be a dedicated women’s tournament running parallel with the men’s, so that young girls, as well as the boys, could be inspired. She hoped that many of the members would embrace the new competition, whether in 2020 or in the future, as the Club’s position throughout the debate had always been two-fold – retain and grow. However, it would not be right to build a new audience that the future of cricket desperately needed and deserved, at the expense of the existing loyal one. By hosting all three formats at the highest level at Trent Bridge, the Club’s intention was to showcase cricket, to demonstrate that it was a sport that could appeal to everyone, whether for the first time or for the thousandth time. The income generated from high profile matches and the new competition was to invest in the venue, and everyone would be making a concerted effort to improve the customer experience at all of the matches. There would be investment at grassroots level so that young people chose cricket and participation grew. Quality coaching support would be provided so that the most talented boys and girls would achieve their potential and develop a desire to play for Nottinghamshire in all formats of the game. So, she went on, back to the question of what was the Club’s business? One thing was certain – it was changing and at a frenetic pace. Although some members might find those changes difficult to accept, there was no way they could be protected from change – it would happen. There was no easy answer to some of the issues to be faced in the coming months and years and solutions would have to be found. However, with change came choice and opportunity. All the Club could ask of its members was that they chose to continue their support of the County game and of Trent Bridge. If it was possible to navigate its way through the complexities together, the foundations were in place to take advantage of the opportunities, with the best interests of cricket and the Club at the forefront of everyone’s minds. In closing her report, Ms Pursehouse thanked the members for their continued support and asked if there were any questions. In replying to Mr N Crockford’s request for an update on Lady Bay, Ms Pursehouse stated that discussions were on-going with representatives from Nottingham Rugby Football Club regarding the future of the ground. An NSPL Board meeting had been scheduled and the subject would be on the agenda. Ms D Peasey commented that she was pleased – and it was important – that Trent Bridge would still be hosting Test Matches in future years, but asked what was the Club going to do in terms of the development of the ground? Ms Pursehouse said that now the Club had the security of hosting high profile matches it could start to think about its ground development plans. She believed it was not just about buildings, but also about infrastructure and investment in the customer experience. To this end the Club would be undertaking a full review of its services to members and visitors, such as the catering and retail offering, WiFi, toilets, player facilities, support for recreational cricket and, of course, the playing surface. It was vital to keep investing in all elements and this was a considerable piece of work. In answer to Mr D J Beaumont’s question as to whether the Committee was considering arranging a Testimonial year for Head Groundsman Steve Birks, after 21 years of service, Ms Pursehouse replied that it was not something that had been discussed but thanked him for the suggestion which could be considered. Ms Pursehouse was asked to describe the relationship between Nottinghamshire and the new T20 franchise team. She explained that the team, which would reside at Trent Bridge in the new competition, would be made up of players from all over the country, plus overseas cricketers, not exclusively Nottinghamshire players. Mr J Chambers commented that he had been overwhelmed at the size of the new Press and Media “WITH CHANGE COMES CHOICE AND OPPORTUNITY. ALL THE CLUB CAN ASK OF ITS MEMBERS IS THAT THEY CHOOSE TO CONTINUE THEIR SUPPORT OF THE COUNTY GAME AND OF TRENT BRIDGE.” Lisa Pursehouse