Update from Club Chair to Nottinghamshire Members - after the event

 

An after the event briefing...

and a lot of unnecessary rubbish about women's cricket which is being presented as a done deal and expense in the name of diversity.

Dear Andy

We hope that you are well, and enjoying the opening exchanges of the season.

As our summer schedule gets into full swing, we’re writing to provide an update on a number of important matters in relation to our club and the wider game in this country.

These include the future model of The Hundred; as you will no doubt have read, the ECB, the 18 First-Class Counties and MCC have been working together to agree a shared direction that would enable the game to move discussions forward.

In recognising the differing needs and responsibilities of host and non-host counties, along with the particular infrastructure and financial challenges being faced by many, it was agreed that any proposals should be underpinned by some key principles.

The long-term financial sustainability and strategic growth of the game was paramount, as was ensuring that all stakeholders would benefit financially, including the recreational game.

Following a series of meetings this month, the ECB developed and sought non-binding support on the capital distribution model which would enable the game to fully consider all implications of external investment into The Hundred.

After discussion as a General Committee and Executive Team, we believed it was important to support this broad approach and consider the possibilities open to us as a club and for the wider game.

We have also asked for further clarification in some important areas so that we, along with our fellow First-Class Counties, are able to collectively explore the options available. This will then enable us to share ideas, and to ultimately build a formal proposal to consult with you on, over the summer.

This may take some time to bring together, but please be assured that we will start this process as soon as we have meaningful detail.

Alongside this, we are continuing to progress plans on the proposed redevelopment of our Pavilion. A full planning application has been submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council, and we are working through the necessary process before awaiting a decision. Once this has been completed, we will be in a better position to work through the probable timelines.

We’re delighted to have received a positive public response to date. Following feedback from the planning authority, we developed and included a number of computer-generated impressions of the proposed new look to our Pavilion. To gain a sense of how the building is expected to sit in context within Trent Bridge, please find one such CGI image here...

As outlined in our previous update to you, and at our Annual General Meeting, this redevelopment will bring many benefits – not least the ability to house four competing teams within our Pavilion, each benefiting from their own self-contained, dedicated changing rooms.

The demand for such facilities has become ever-more pressing with the advent of regular men’s and women’s double-headers, as we seek to grow the game and ensure quality provision for all of our Trent Bridge teams.

This has become more important as, having been home to The Blaze since November 2022, we’re delighted to have had our status as host for a Tier One women’s team from 2025 now confirmed.

We will be joined by Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire in Tier One of the new structure, with Glamorgan and Yorkshire joining from 2027.

Funding for the new teams has been agreed for the next four years, and we are now working with the ECB on the finer detail of the new setup.

This long-term opportunity to showcase and grow the women’s game within our county borders is fantastic news– and we hope that those of you who joined us for the team’s first two fixtures at Trent Bridge this summer enjoyed the contest on display. If you haven’t yet watched The Blaze, we encourage you to join us for one of the upcoming Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 matches at our home, on Thursday 23 and Friday 31 May.

The support of our neighbouring First-Class Counties will continue to be crucial as the women’s game enters this new era, and as we seek to ensure that opportunities are spread across the wider East Midlands region.

We will, of course, keep you updated on all of the topics discussed above – including at our members’ forum on Friday 17 May – as we continue to enjoy our bumper schedule of domestic and international cricket this summer.

Best Wishes Andy and Lisa

14 December 2023

Dear member,

We hope that you are wintering well and enjoying making plans for the festive season.

As we come to the end of another year, we wanted to provide you with an update on a number of key matters relating to the club and the wider cricketing landscape.

We’re sure that many of you will have had a keen eye on recent media reports concerning the game as a whole – including speculation about the future direction of The Hundred.

We appreciate that, when delivered in isolation, this speculation and the differing opinions and views being expressed has the power to create discourse and a degree of mistrust – especially when snippets of information are shared in a somewhat sensationalised fashion, without any context or supporting information.

To date, there have been two meetings held between the ECB and the Chief Executives and Chairs of the First-Class Counties, at which the English domestic game’s place in the global landscape of cricket has been discussed – along with the significant financial pressures being faced by many clubs.

To date, there has been no formal proposal, timeline or agreed process for any change to the structure of The Hundred. We expect a further meeting towards the end of January where we hope to receive more information.

Naturally, this topic has a significant degree of complexity, and so we are working closely with the ECB and other counties to evolve our understanding so that we are able to address the myriad of questions we will all have.

Clearly, this is a very emotive area for our game, and the wider implications of any changes must be carefully considered. Our understanding is that we will receive formal proposals towards the end of March 2024, but this should become clearer after the January meeting.

We will provide any meaningful updates throughout the first quarter of next year – and once we receive proposals, we will share them with you and then undertake a formal consultation process.

That process will include a variety of options to ensure you can all engage with us via your preferred method, and will include written briefings, face-to-face meetings and online options via Zoom.

Irrespective of what you may read or hear, please be reassured that we will keep you fully updated in the months ahead.

As on-field matters continue to hold our attention this winter, we are examining our next steps off the field in relation to developments and improvements at our historic home.

Our package of major matches between 2025 and 2031 (including two Men’s Ashes Tests, two visits from India Men and four women’s white-ball games) gives us a degree of long-term certainty, but also places into focus the need for our facilities to evolve, to ensure we remain at the top table and retain our status as a Test Match venue.

With multi-format squads and compacted schedules, the playing, coaching and support staff of touring teams are ever-increasing in size. Aligning with our commitment to support the growth of the women’s game domestically and internationally, the prevalence of double-headed matchdays also places considerable pressure on our facilities.

We know, therefore, that we must consider how best to equip and configure our historic Pavilion to ensure it is fit for purpose for decades to come.

As you may be aware from members' forums and our Annual General Meetings, we have already begun to examine our options in relation to Pavilion improvements.

As well as enhancements for players and support staff, these improvements will include upgrades to the Long Room and other member facilities.

We have recently submitted a pre-planning application, and in the next few weeks we will move to the more formal stage of a full planning application.

This does not in any way commit us to the development, but it is an essential next step if we are to move forward and explore the feasibility of our design plans and provide a more detailed financial assessment.

As is the normal process with planning matters, it is likely that this information will appear in the public domain at some point in the early months of next year. We will, of course, provide you with further updates, as we look to progress this hugely important project throughout next year....

.... Best wishes Andy & Lisa