Trent Bridge Annual Report 2018

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2018 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 24 With top flight international cricket played in front of sell-out crowds at Trent Bridge, attendances for domestic cricket that exceeded all our expectations and the return of a healthy profit, 2018 has delivered positively on many fronts. However, none of us would deny that our on-field performances, particularly during the final weeks of the season, failed to live up to our hopes and expectations. After the glory of the preceding 12 months, even achieving the quarter-final stages of both white-ball competitions and retaining our First Division status in the Championship does feel like an anti-climax. It’s therefore testament to the loyalty of our members and supporters that, although we were not able to match the on-field success of 2017, our domestic cricket audiences grew across the board. Our membership figure of 8,234 was just 106 below the all-time record set in 2015. Our average Specsavers County Championship attendance increased by over 1,000 andT20 Vitality Blast cricket atTrent Bridge delivered an average gate of 11,377. Our Family Fun Day concept for 50 over cricket gathered significant momentum with a crowd of over 14,000 attending the fixture against Warwickshire. SeeingTrent Bridge with such huge crowds supporting domestic cricket was one of the highlights of the year for me and additional reward for these achievements arrived in the form of Business of Cricket Awards in the ‘WarmestWelcome’ and ‘Inspiring Customer Loyalty’ categories. It’s particularly pleasing that both these awards encompass all that we work so hard to represent – a thriving County Club with values that our staff and volunteers subscribe to. They all have my sincere thanks for another year of hard work, dedication and no shortage of skill within their respective roles. In a year when some wonderfully competitiveTest cricket was played in different parts of the world, our 2018 International programme featured both Australia and India. A Saturday start to ourTest was a challenging prospect so to achieve a sell out for the first three days shows the appetite in our region for the primary format of our game. The operational demands required to deliver major matches continue to increase in all areas. It is absolutely critical that we are able to satisfy the needs of all our partners as we collectively strive to retain the relevance of the longer formats of the game to a global audience. Our decision to invest in the broadcast facilities at the Radcliffe L I S A P U R S E HOU S E CHI EF EXECUT I VE’S REPORT 8,234 MEMBERSHI P S IN 2018 11,377 2018 T20 AVERAGE ATTENDANCE