Bri
Striker
Special report on state of the game: Counties fear they may not be playing Championship cricket in 10 years time
Nick Hoult, Cricket News Correspondent
1 April 2019 • 5:24pm
Follow
The first in a series of special reports on the domestic game reveals concerns for the four-day format...
Over a third of county chief executives fear not all 18 clubs will still be playing Championship cricket in 10 years’ time.
The revelation came from an exclusive Telegraph Sport survey delivered to every county before the start of the new domestic season, the last before the launch of the controversial Hundred competition.
With the game facing such fundamental change, questionnaires were sent to all 18 county chief executives, with all but one responding in full. Other key findings included:
Almost unanimous agreement that the Championship has been marginalised in favour of white-ball cricket.
Widespread support for the Hundred, despite the squeeze it will place on the red-ball game.
A majority insisting relegation should be retained from Division One and that relations with the England & Wales Cricket Board were good or above average
A bullish county game determined to make sure the Blast survives.
Chief executives were offered anonymity if it helped them to speak more freely and only one, Nottinghamshire, declined to take part.
Overall, there is widespread optimism about the future, with Test-match grounds hopeful of making the Hundred work, while smaller counties aim to prove their relevance by positioning themselves as homes for women’s international cricket and producers of England stars of the future.
Show more
For traditional supporters feeling marginalised by the rapid pace of change, however, it is fears over the future of the Championship that will strike a chord.
Of the 17 chief executives that responded, seven believe it unlikely the County Championship will continue to feature 18 teams as the game evolves over the next decade. There has never been a reduction in the number of counties featuring in the Championship since it was formally established in 1890.
But the growth of white-ball cricket, and the hand-to-mouth financial existence of some of the smaller counties, has clear dangers.
“I don’t think they will (be playing Championship cricket) to be honest," said one chief executive. "Not because decisions will be made at the top, but it is just the economic reality that some of the clubs are really struggling. All of us have challenges financially but some are not viable businesses financially and will really struggle.”
One county suggested some could move to a semi-professional basis, while another blamed the sheer amount of Championship cricket for putting its future in doubt. “I do fear the way things are going with the financial realities of cricket. We have to play what brings the biggest commercial return. We are trying to protect Championship cricket but the volume of it might conspire against it.”
Show more
Leicestershire are in talks with the ECB over help with a £1.3 million debt to be paid this year while a study published in the International Journal of Financial Studies in February concluded “clubs competing in the County Championship are failing to generate profits, expand the supporter base or grow commercial revenues with a better national and international profile.”
Durham’s Tim Bostock, who is leading the county out of a financial black hole, struck a more hopeful tone. “Yes. I would like to think they will (recover) but I’m not as confident as I would have been 10 years ago. Financials with some counties will inevitably cause a problem. There is no silver bullet. And if counties can’t add extra revenue like hotels there will be an inevitable squeeze.”
Others feel the £1.3m extra payout from the Hundred, guaranteed from 2020 to 2024, can secure their future across all formats. “There is enough money from the Hundred to make the game stronger and let counties build. There is a great desire from the counties and ECB to keep 18 counties alive and thriving,” said Middlesex’s Richard Goatley.
That £1.3m will be squeezed by a minimum wage of £27,500 to be introduced for all players aged over 21. A minimum salary budget of £750,000 will also be imposed and the ECB is demanding clubs upgrade medical care and academy facilities. “Some people think it is £1.3m profit, it is not,” said one county. Gloucestershire’s Will Brown said: “Over the last five years the ECB has been incredibly generous at giving counties money for certain things but that stops now, this new money is now our banker.”
Rob Andrew at Sussex believes the consultation over the Hundred was widespread and meaningful with the counties’ fears taken on board. “I’ve had experience of other sports and there are always going to be issues, and ups and downs. That is the nature of being a governing body and club. I think it’s a good relationship right now.”
But the relationship between board and counties remains volatile. “The ECB chairman (Colin Graves) shoots from the hip and runs the game in a very autocratic manner,” said one county. “His board and exec have failed to control him and a new face will be very welcome when his term comes to an end in 2020.”
Another county said: “Colin is an honest guy but not good at the politics. Frankly, most chairmen are looking at their own county rather than what is best for the game as a whole. It makes governing the sport very hard.”
The difficulty is applying business logic to 18 very different clubs. At the Oval, Richard Gould runs a county that has vastly different resources, for example, to Ryan Duckett, the new chief executive of Derbyshire.
Gould has a non-playing staff of 120 employees and a turnover of £35m; twice that of his closest rivals. “If you deduct television revenue then our turnover puts us on a par with a top 10 Premier League club in terms of tickets sold and non-match-day business,” he said.
Surrey have made little secret of their opposition to the Hundred and it culminated last month in Graves threatening to strip them of being a host venue after they voted against the formal endorsement of the competition.
“Our job will be to deliver sell-out crowds,” said Gould. “We do it for Surrey T20 and international cricket and it will be our responsibility to do that for the new tournament. We already are very good at delivering a new audience. On average, 65 per cent who come to our T20 games have never been to cricket before so hopefully the new competition will allow us to continue that but we have to make sure the existing supporters feel welcomed and so we are working hard with the ECB to make sure that happens.”
At Durham, Bostock is making changes. He hopes to build a hotel at the Riverside and feels there is renewed optimism in the north east after the ignominy of relegation and an ECB bailout three years ago.
Rehearsals for The Hundred took place at Trent Bridge in September 2018 Credit: pa
Bostock has moved back to the UK after working in banking in Australia and is surprised by the amount of potential in English cricket. “Numbers alone say cricket is a small business. But the profile of a county cricket club in the community and in the media makes it a high-profile business. I have worked at businesses with turnover in the billions but actually they not high profile, nobody really cares outside your own world. But people care about cricket so you have to think like big business while running a small business.”
We asked all counties where they see themselves five years from now. “I use the number 2024,” said Bostock. “It means: two trophies, zero debt, £2m in the bank and four new England players produced. It ticks all the boxes.”
And we also asked what threatens their survival. One simply answered: “The Hundred.” Others fear falling participation. “The lack of high-quality games at the height of summer and a failure to bring high-profile matches to the south west on a regular basis,” said Somerset’s Andrew Cornish.
“More people are starting to look at what is going to happen in 2020 when the new tournament starts,” adds Gould. “We need to continue to make sure there are no unintended consequences that could cause damage to either the county or international game. We need to make sure that all formats and teams have the ability to thrive and survive.”
Nick Hoult, Cricket News Correspondent
1 April 2019 • 5:24pm
Follow
The first in a series of special reports on the domestic game reveals concerns for the four-day format...
Over a third of county chief executives fear not all 18 clubs will still be playing Championship cricket in 10 years’ time.
The revelation came from an exclusive Telegraph Sport survey delivered to every county before the start of the new domestic season, the last before the launch of the controversial Hundred competition.
With the game facing such fundamental change, questionnaires were sent to all 18 county chief executives, with all but one responding in full. Other key findings included:
Almost unanimous agreement that the Championship has been marginalised in favour of white-ball cricket.
Widespread support for the Hundred, despite the squeeze it will place on the red-ball game.
A majority insisting relegation should be retained from Division One and that relations with the England & Wales Cricket Board were good or above average
A bullish county game determined to make sure the Blast survives.
Chief executives were offered anonymity if it helped them to speak more freely and only one, Nottinghamshire, declined to take part.
Overall, there is widespread optimism about the future, with Test-match grounds hopeful of making the Hundred work, while smaller counties aim to prove their relevance by positioning themselves as homes for women’s international cricket and producers of England stars of the future.
Show more
For traditional supporters feeling marginalised by the rapid pace of change, however, it is fears over the future of the Championship that will strike a chord.
Of the 17 chief executives that responded, seven believe it unlikely the County Championship will continue to feature 18 teams as the game evolves over the next decade. There has never been a reduction in the number of counties featuring in the Championship since it was formally established in 1890.
But the growth of white-ball cricket, and the hand-to-mouth financial existence of some of the smaller counties, has clear dangers.
“I don’t think they will (be playing Championship cricket) to be honest," said one chief executive. "Not because decisions will be made at the top, but it is just the economic reality that some of the clubs are really struggling. All of us have challenges financially but some are not viable businesses financially and will really struggle.”
One county suggested some could move to a semi-professional basis, while another blamed the sheer amount of Championship cricket for putting its future in doubt. “I do fear the way things are going with the financial realities of cricket. We have to play what brings the biggest commercial return. We are trying to protect Championship cricket but the volume of it might conspire against it.”
Show more
Leicestershire are in talks with the ECB over help with a £1.3 million debt to be paid this year while a study published in the International Journal of Financial Studies in February concluded “clubs competing in the County Championship are failing to generate profits, expand the supporter base or grow commercial revenues with a better national and international profile.”
Durham’s Tim Bostock, who is leading the county out of a financial black hole, struck a more hopeful tone. “Yes. I would like to think they will (recover) but I’m not as confident as I would have been 10 years ago. Financials with some counties will inevitably cause a problem. There is no silver bullet. And if counties can’t add extra revenue like hotels there will be an inevitable squeeze.”
Others feel the £1.3m extra payout from the Hundred, guaranteed from 2020 to 2024, can secure their future across all formats. “There is enough money from the Hundred to make the game stronger and let counties build. There is a great desire from the counties and ECB to keep 18 counties alive and thriving,” said Middlesex’s Richard Goatley.
That £1.3m will be squeezed by a minimum wage of £27,500 to be introduced for all players aged over 21. A minimum salary budget of £750,000 will also be imposed and the ECB is demanding clubs upgrade medical care and academy facilities. “Some people think it is £1.3m profit, it is not,” said one county. Gloucestershire’s Will Brown said: “Over the last five years the ECB has been incredibly generous at giving counties money for certain things but that stops now, this new money is now our banker.”
Rob Andrew at Sussex believes the consultation over the Hundred was widespread and meaningful with the counties’ fears taken on board. “I’ve had experience of other sports and there are always going to be issues, and ups and downs. That is the nature of being a governing body and club. I think it’s a good relationship right now.”
But the relationship between board and counties remains volatile. “The ECB chairman (Colin Graves) shoots from the hip and runs the game in a very autocratic manner,” said one county. “His board and exec have failed to control him and a new face will be very welcome when his term comes to an end in 2020.”
Another county said: “Colin is an honest guy but not good at the politics. Frankly, most chairmen are looking at their own county rather than what is best for the game as a whole. It makes governing the sport very hard.”
The difficulty is applying business logic to 18 very different clubs. At the Oval, Richard Gould runs a county that has vastly different resources, for example, to Ryan Duckett, the new chief executive of Derbyshire.
Gould has a non-playing staff of 120 employees and a turnover of £35m; twice that of his closest rivals. “If you deduct television revenue then our turnover puts us on a par with a top 10 Premier League club in terms of tickets sold and non-match-day business,” he said.
Surrey have made little secret of their opposition to the Hundred and it culminated last month in Graves threatening to strip them of being a host venue after they voted against the formal endorsement of the competition.
“Our job will be to deliver sell-out crowds,” said Gould. “We do it for Surrey T20 and international cricket and it will be our responsibility to do that for the new tournament. We already are very good at delivering a new audience. On average, 65 per cent who come to our T20 games have never been to cricket before so hopefully the new competition will allow us to continue that but we have to make sure the existing supporters feel welcomed and so we are working hard with the ECB to make sure that happens.”
At Durham, Bostock is making changes. He hopes to build a hotel at the Riverside and feels there is renewed optimism in the north east after the ignominy of relegation and an ECB bailout three years ago.
Rehearsals for The Hundred took place at Trent Bridge in September 2018 Credit: pa
Bostock has moved back to the UK after working in banking in Australia and is surprised by the amount of potential in English cricket. “Numbers alone say cricket is a small business. But the profile of a county cricket club in the community and in the media makes it a high-profile business. I have worked at businesses with turnover in the billions but actually they not high profile, nobody really cares outside your own world. But people care about cricket so you have to think like big business while running a small business.”
We asked all counties where they see themselves five years from now. “I use the number 2024,” said Bostock. “It means: two trophies, zero debt, £2m in the bank and four new England players produced. It ticks all the boxes.”
And we also asked what threatens their survival. One simply answered: “The Hundred.” Others fear falling participation. “The lack of high-quality games at the height of summer and a failure to bring high-profile matches to the south west on a regular basis,” said Somerset’s Andrew Cornish.
“More people are starting to look at what is going to happen in 2020 when the new tournament starts,” adds Gould. “We need to continue to make sure there are no unintended consequences that could cause damage to either the county or international game. We need to make sure that all formats and teams have the ability to thrive and survive.”
