Trent Bridge Annual Report 2018

25 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT Road End has been quickly vindicated, as the additional studios were needed to host dual language broadcasts during our IndiaTest Match in 2018. This provision will again be required in 2019 as we welcome the ICC CricketWorld Cup toTrent Bridge. It is ten years since we last hosted a global tournament so we all eagerly await the opportunity to showcase our venue and our County to the cricketing world. The required exclusivity period for theWorld Cup made it impossible for us to play all our matches atTrent Bridge next year, but it does offer us an opportunity to take some cricket to different parts of the community we represent as a County Club.Welbeck Cricket Club is set to host First-Class cricket for the first time and we will also host a 50-over fixture at Grantham. Following the confirmation of our high-profile match award through to 2024, the Club now has some stability from which to build plans for the future.We have secured our status as aTest Match venue for the period and will also be one of the eight hosts for the new ‘Hundred’ competition, as well as the home of the 50 over Final. It means we will host every format of the game, at the highest level, atTrent Bridge in the next six years, providing us with the best opportunity to achieve the dual objective of retaining our existing loyal audience whilst also reaching out to a new one. The new tournament starting in 2020 will be positioned as a vehicle to attract families – and with prime time viewing on terrestrialTV secured – there’s no doubt that it offers cricket an opportunity to broaden its appeal. If we are to diversify our customer base and grasp the opportunity it offers, then investment in our facilities and infrastructure will be required in the years ahead. If, in the future, we are to embark upon some of the large-scale projects to which we all aspire – such as a redevelopment of the pavilion or theWilliam Clarke Stand to increase our capacity – we must find incremental revenue to finance them. Our decision to build a hospitality and dining space on the sixth floor of the Radcliffe Road development is part of a wider plan to maximise the usage of our venue on non-match days. As I write this report, the finishing touches are being applied to what will become an accessible fine-dining restaurant with the unique selling point of panoramic views over Trent Bridge,West Bridgford and Nottingham. The restaurant, which will also provide additional hospitality capacity on match days, is designed to widen our customer offering as we seek to define a point of difference for our business portfolio. With stronger strategic direction from the ECB, the game also has a plan in ‘Cricket Unleashed’ that encompasses the game from grassroots to the professional arena. Over the last two years we have been working even more closely with Nottinghamshire Cricket Board to grow participation, develop stronger links with our League Clubs and schools and to explore different formats to attract new players.The All Stars Cricket programme has seen hundreds of youngsters, both boys and girls aged 5-8 across our county, picking up a bat and ball for the first time. Hosting Loughborough Lightning in the Kia Super League as part of a double-header with Notts Outlaws in aT20Vitality Blast fixture next season is a logical first step for us in bringing the women’s game toTrent Bridge.We do hope you will support this as we try to inspire the next generation of women and girls. As we reflect on 2018 and look forward to 2019, cricket is very much at the forefront of our plans. Our domestic fixtures have, on the whole, fallen favourably – including aT20 schedule providing a nice balance between the weekend matches that work for families and the Friday nights that have become such a firm favourite atTrent Bridge in recent years. On the field, we must acknowledge that the playing squad underwent a “IT IS TENYEARS SINCE WE LAST HOSTED A GLOBALTOURNAMENT SOWE ALL EAGERLY AWAITTHE OPPORTUNITYTO SHOWCASE OUR VENUE AND OUR COUNTYTO THE CRICKETINGWORLD.” Lisa Pursehouse New broadcast facilities at the Radcliffe Road end