Membership Matters:Focus Group2 /Lancashire County Cricket Members Group

 

29/01

A second Membership Focus Group has been added for 5 February at 6 PM

If you're interested in attending this second date, kindly register below.

21/01

Posted on X by Lancashire Members Group and I suggest going on to Twitter/X @LancsCCMG and read their posts. There appears to me to be many similar problems that members have there as do members at Trent Bridge/

A plan for unity

Last week, I highlighted governance problems resulting from recent Club decisions. These are issues that go back many years and I have been giving careful thought on how to solve them.

First a few words to explain how we got here.

Background

When asked to get involved with cricket governance at Lancashire in 2019 by George Dobell as a Cricket Supporters Association board member, it became clear to me that there were long standing member complaints of poor service and communication from the club. Management were also very stung by the personal nature of some of the public criticisms from the fans.

I've spent 30 years in professional life where member or stakeholder representation on boards is a fundamental way to make decisions and resolve problems.

It was clear that this didn't exist at Lancashire CCC in a way consistent with it being a members' club.

Club management chose the people on the Member Representative Group (MRG) and stated all member issues had to be routed via them. No employer gets to choose the Trade Union reps.

A Nominations Committee (NomCo) had to be navigated for any member to sit on the Board. Member interest in applying was low; the Club became used to finding people from outside and gave up asking the membership to stand for the board.

Solution

Following the 2021 AGM I met with the Club to explore solutions. I asked them to consider:

1. Two Lancashire members elected onto the Club's board from a choice of candidates by the members;
2. The MRG to be fully elected by members with light screening by NomCo to ensure applicants could fulfill the MRG's terms of reference

Campaigns

The Club did not want to do this. Famously recording in a MRG meeting that the trouble with members electing people is that we might choose "the wrong type of person".

It's been a long journey since then involving thousands of road miles, supporter surveys, campaigns, member resolutions tabled at three AGMs during which the Club has made changes to respond to members concerns. But yet.....

Problem

Club officials simply do not want to relinquish tight control over who can represent members on the MRG and Board.

NomCo has gone too far in screening out applicants. It has disregarded aspects of Club rules on Board member selection; exceeded its own remit in screening MRG applicants and some of its detailed operations would be difficult to justify in public to the members.

If most members were reasonably happy with how things are at the Club, that might not matter much. The astonishing vote to reprimand the Board at the AGM last year was clear evidence that despite the strong loyalty members feel to support the Club there was a need to go further.

The latest problem of setting a skill-set so specialist that virtually no existing member could meet it, let alone provide members with a choice of candidates, in the face of solid member opposition during consultation, is further evidence of the Board not appreciating the need to build bridges with its members.

Put this to the MRG and they can only say they will pass on the comment to the Club. They have no means to ask all members what they think on such a crucial issue.

Proposed solution A mindset change on NomCo to allow members greater choice in their representatives. Applicants for "member-reserved roles" should only be screened out if they are plainly unsuitable to do the role, not because NomCo prefers other members. I'd suggest the following.

1. The Club chooses a new NomCo chair and allows members to apply for the role of Non-Board member on NomCo.
2. Elections are held at the 2025 AGM for the member role on NomCo.
3. At the 2026 AGM, an election is held to select a second member for the Board from a choice of candidates.
4. The MRG empowered to be able to truly represent members.

• MRG to run annual member satisfaction survey ; results discussed each AGM
• MRG to be able to communicate with all members (with opt-out)
• MRG meetings scheduled & publicized on the website in advance
• Transparency on when MRG member terms end and elections are due
• MRG elections run according to the protocols agreed at the 2022 AGM with vacancies properly advertised with closing dates, applicants promptly processed & NomCo sticks to its terms of reference.

Unity

If these reasonable steps are taken then there is no need for a shadow group of members to lobby for change. No need for a 4th year of AGM motions opposed by the Club.

We will have a MRG that can do its function and is properly accountable to the members. The Board still has eight roles it can appoint to find all the specialist skills it needs and meet all EDI objectives. Crucially it has two club members, chosen by the members, to ensure the Board are kept closely informed about what the members feel.

The problems of the past can be left in past as we all work through the new structures. This account can close. I can just watch the cricket and support the team as I did last year at 13 different grounds.

We can unite on a common goal of success on the pitch

15/01

It would appear that Nottinghamshire or Trent Bridge PLC are having a membership focus group, but only for selected members. The below invitation was sent to my son who hasn't been a member for a number of years as firstly he played cricket himself at weekends, then and now he lives and works at inconvenient locations and hours...

Why they think that he was member in 2024, I don't have clue, but I haven't had an invitation and nor has my wife.

Here's the said invitation...

As the onset of the season draws nearer, we're keen to ensure that we are providing the best possible experience for our members, both this summer and across the years to come. With that in mind, and because you were a member in 2024, we'd like to cordially invite you to register to join a membership focus group, allowing you to offer your thoughts on all aspects of Nottinghamshire membership.  The focus group will take place at 2pm on Monday 3 February at Trent Bridge, and will comprise of an informal chat with a member of the membership servicing team, with complimentary tea and coffee available. A handful of parking spaces will be available on site, should you require one. Once participants have been confirmed, we will liaise with you regarding where you can park. To register your interest, simply complete the short form below - we'll select a small group of people at random to join us on the day.

12/01

If Pravda is working to the same timetable as last year, we shoild be receiving information about Committee elections in the coming week.

09/01

No mention from Pravda as yet, but our representative on the Cricket Members Group as distributed this memo:

Members of NCCC will be getting their voting papers soon as the AGM is on Monday 24^th February. I think this election will be crucial to Nottinghamshire’s future for a number of reasons:

1. There are four places up for grabs, three elected and one nominated.
2. There will be enormous pressure on those counties (15) who are still mutual societies, controlled by their members, to demutualise in the face of the possible/probable sale of English cricket’s assets via the Hundred franchises. County committees need to be formed of members who will put the long-term interests of the County and its members first.
3. The ‘turn-out’ for these elections at all counties is very low, so please do vote to show that we members care about the future of your club.

Nick Evans

Nick is standing in the said ballot and I read on Facebook that Steve Battlemuch is also standing. I'm not sure if the gentleman from Ratcliffe on Soar has made the ballot paper.

Again demutualisation raises its ugly head above the parapet. It was also in the background of the recent survey by the Grumbler - here and all stemming from the ECB sale of H*ndred stakes and the sale of Hampshire to foreign investors.

Read again this article by Mike Atherton in The Times previously on Nottsview here