Leicestershire CEO Sean Jarvis' Monthly Report - May 2022

I would say this is possibly the hardest update I have had to write since my time at Leicestershire. Furthermore, we must not be scared of the bad times but it’s how you address them and come out the other side that counts.  We must stand shoulder to shoulder… and when we stand together if we win, we must also stand together if we lose… Always Leicestershire!

This update focuses on what’s gone on in the previous month (May). I will start with Cricket.

There is no hiding that our performances haven’t been what we had hoped for and that is extremely disappointing for all. In simple, it must improve. As Gary Player once said 'the harder I try, the luckier I get.' For us, we have got to continue to work hard, address our problems face on and persevere with determination. Our coaching structure is arguably one short but the staff we have are committed and am confident they can turn things around. Our red ball campaign has been particularly disappointing, especially as last season we showed so much progress and potential. For me, personally, as CEO, I won’t rest until success returns to the Uptonsteel County Ground. I know it’s difficult, but I would urge our supporters to stick with us.

The team have seen some changes including those of captaincy across the three formats. Naturally, I wish the three lads every success as they begin their new eras. What I will say is that there are glimpses of a brighter future for the Club and it’s great to see recent selected performances from Rishi Patel, Callum Parkinson, Ben Mike and Rehan Ahmed.

At the time of writing, our T20 campaign has just begun and whilst we lost the first two openers, I remain excited by the prospect of what our squad can deliver. The T20 campaign can make a huge difference financially to the Club so I would urge that you please spread the word and persuade, family, friends, neighbours to come along and support us.

Onto Community…

Continuing the T20 theme. We as a Club have taken the decision to do our bit to help our community by trying to, in these difficult times, make Cricket more affordable. If you purchase in advance, via the Club app, official website or by visiting the new ticket office you can get T20 games for just £10 for adults and £5 for under 16’s. For us to continue this pricing we do need the support of our community. In other words, we have 5 home games remaining, so please support us …. We do need you.

Just a little bit of an update on the #supportyourcounty initiative we undertook in association with the Cricket Supporters Association and County Cricket Matters. In simple, for us it was a great success, we saw a take up of 16% but most importantly new faces coming down to support us all from a variety of backgrounds. Because of the initiative, we witnessed a big uptake in the catering and beverages that were on offer. For me, we now need to build this initiative and will look to undertake it next year. Hopefully, we can get more Clubs involved. What was special for us that day was a return of children to the outfield, playing cricket during the interval. We had a local school here and they were brilliant. Well done Kestrel Mead and thanks for your support.

Our community teams continue to be out and about and working with Clubs and schools and the numbers we are witnessing in the engagement is demonstrating there is an appetite for Cricket. This is great news and brilliant to see.

It would also be very remiss of me not to mention our superb Women’s and Girls’ team. If you saw last month, they picked up a bit of silverware in a first for the Club “ a T20 tournament here at the Uptonsteel County Ground. They beat Northants in the final. Congratulations to them. We are very proud of what you have achieved and continue to achieve.

Moving onto our Commercial Pillar.

Like the other pillars there remains lots going on. Our focus now is promoting the hospitality offering we have. For this T20 season we have a good, broad spectrum trying to suit every budget. If it's Pie and a Pint that interests you, then the new offer with an excellent side-on view is available. Alternatively, if its al fresco, then a seat in the Spice Bazaar Terrace is perfect whilst watching the Cricket but also eating one of the tastiest curries around. If it’s more part of the atmosphere you are after, then the Beer and Balti option in the Charles Palmer is a good one. But if you like to be a bit more corporate, we have a couple of great options in both the Marquee (which I think is the best view in the ground) or the corporate boxes. So hopefully you can see we have extended our offering to try and suit every budget. Again, if you can please support us and at least try one of the different offerings during the season. Hospitality can be booked by visiting our website or contacting Tracey or Conor in the new commercial office located at the Curzon Road entrance.

Commercially the Club continues to grow and encouragingly we are seeing sales increase by 29.3% compared to the same period in 2019. There are still a few months to go and we are approaching the business end of the season but remain hopeful we can not only stay ahead of the 2019 performance but also the budgets and targets we have set ourselves.

From a Company perspective, the Club continues to evolve. The Entrance project (which is one of our major steps in our 2022 strategy) has taken a bit longer than we expected but it is very much now close to completion, and it should go towards improving our professionalism as a Club. All visitors now will be asked to report to reception and then will be greeted by our staff. Previously it was very hap hazard and any visitors we had often got lost when coming to the ground. It is very much our aim to improve the ‘supporters’ journey’. Whilst we have some way to go, we are making good strides to improve.

Finally, an update on our Cash Pillar.

We are now in the heart of the season and whilst encouraged by our commercial performance, costs have increased, so our finances remain tight, and we must invest in parts of the Club that both in desperate need to do so or will provide us with a return on the investment. I can’t stress enough how important it is that you as supporters of the Club, whether a fan or a corporate please continue to back us. I would also urge any supporter out there to consider upgrading on the hospitality or doing their bit to support the Club.

Onwards and Upwards

Kindest regards

Sean