Jarvis ready for the challenge

Newly-appointed Leicestershire CCC chief executive Sean Jarvis believes the club will get through the difficult challenges that the COVID-19 coronavirus is presenting.

Jarvis will begin in post on June 24 and is taking on his new role in highly challenging circumstances.

No cricket will be played before May 28, and on Tuesday, March 31, the ECB announced a £61million interim support package for professional and recreational cricket with £40million immediately available to clubs such as the Foxes.

Jarvis revealed he was already starting to plot a path in these uncertain times for the club that he supported as a boy.

“No-one could possibly have predicted the current situation,” said Jarvis, who is already fully familiar with the set-up at the club having worked with the Board of Directors as a non-executive director over the past 12 months.

“But having seen how hard everybody connected with the club is working to keep things going, I'm certain we're going to get through this and start a new chapter in supporting [Head Coach] Paul Nixon in building a really exciting squad.

“We're already talking about a number of new ideas, things we want to bring forward.

“We're going to need the support of the whole county, in fact of everybody with an interest in seeing the club be successful – and that should be everyone, because as we've seen with Leicester City and Leicester Tigers, a successful sports team brings huge benefits and a lot of prestige to an area – so whether as a fan or as a business, get in touch.

“We know it's going to be hard work, but it can be an exciting new chapter.”

Jarvis will join the club full-time after 14 years at Huddersfield Town where he played a major commercial role in the club's rise from football's League One to the Premier League.

The 52-year-old believes that experience and his love for the club will be vital as they face up to the current situation.

“The club is in my DNA, it was one of the reasons I accepted the job," he said.

“I was born and bred in Leicester, my father was a long-standing umpire on the Leicestershire circuit and I grew up watching the likes of David Gower, Brian Davison, Paddy Clift, Andy Roberts, those kind of players.

“I moved to Yorkshire to go to university when I was 18 and have been there for 30 odd years, but working with the Board at the club as a non-exec director and spending time here really felt like coming home, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to help the club both on and off the field.”

Head Coach and former England international Paul Nixon has been a part of Jarvis' early discussions regarding on-field matters.

“We've started the conversations with Paul in regards to developing a squad which already has some fantastic players and prospects,” he said.

“We've already seen progress, [new white-ball signing] Janneman Malan is an incredibly exciting signing for us.

“We're also going to work even harder to develop local talent and ensure there's a clear pathway to becoming a first-class cricketer with Leicestershire.”