Leicestershire Monthly Report - February 2021
Sat 27 Feb 2021
Welcome to my February update on all things #RunningFoxes
I hope you are enjoying reading these regular updates and they are keeping you informed of our developments and progression at the Club.
Since I started them, some eight months ago, we seem to have come a very long way in a short period of time, but I say this with a note of caution as we do still have a lot of work to do.
It was great to see good news on the easing of lockdown and of course we will continue to work with the ECB on how we get our supporters back in to the Uptonsteel County Ground. Fingers crossed that will be sooner rather than later. To accelerate this process I would once again urge you to continue to follow government guidelines – lets keep those ‘r’ rates declining.
For my update this month I will start with our Commercial activity...
During lockdown and since last season ended our main revenue streams for the Club have been Memberships, official partnerships, advertising and sponsorships. Without the support of businesses and our fan base, the Club would be in an extremely difficult position. So firstly I wanted to take this opportunity to say a massive thanks to those people and companies who are really getting behind the Club and supporting the new journey we are on. Your support is so welcomed and is much needed. Thank you.
As I mentioned last month we have had a good winter period in which many companies have agreed to be part of the #runningfoxes, and I’m delighted to say, as we approach the start of the new season, companies old and new continue to back us. Since the last report we have seen the Melton Mowbray Building Society, Edmonds and Slatter, IMA Architects and Clements Retail all add to our growing family of ‘official partners’.
At the time of writing also, it has been encouraging and a real boost for the Club to see Memberships continue to increase and we are currently seeing a 70% increase versus the same period last year. I would encourage those supporters who are still contemplating about becoming a Member, don’t delay, join the growing numbers!.
I often talk about winning signs off the field as well as on it and I’m pleased to say apart from the above, there has been some further winning signs in that we have now sold all of our perimeter boards around the boundary rope, and there are only six players remaining for sponsorship. What’s more, I am sure we will sell these out before the season starts.
As for Blast Passes, it was great to announce the fixtures recently and on the back of our great showing last season we are already 50% ahead of the total number of Blast Passes sold last year. Again a winning sign.
From a non-match day function perspective, it has of course been very difficult for us to organise any events, however it has been great to see that some companies still continue to use us for training purposes and I am sure once the cricket season is completed, that we will have a huge demand for the Charles Palmer function suite outside of cricket. I know we are planning a few events already.
With the roadmap now beginning to unfold, we are also now planning events during the year. Hopefully you will have seen the very recent, hot of the press, extremely positive news, that the Uptonsteel County Ground, has been granted a licence to hold large scale events. This is all part of our strategy to ensure the ground becomes Leicester's premium outdoor venue, and gives us a much needed revenue stream whilst hosting international stars. I am told by our Commercial team that news of our first event since lockdown started will be issued very soon. Please keep watching our social media channels.
Speaking of social media channels, it is important that we continue to use these to communicate to a variety of audiences. As such we have now joined TikTok and was great to see so many followers in a matter of hours since it launched. Additionally, I am keen for us to build our Foxes TV concept and would urge supporters to tune into the channel, available free on Youtube. There may be some dodgy acting on there but it’s fun and informative to watch!
On to the Company part of our business.
Since the last edition there has been a huge amount of work undertaken.
Sadly the winter hasn’t been kind to the Uptonsteel County Ground and a number of issues have occurred that needed to be addressed. Thankfully our Operations team are on the case and have dealt with them but of course they come at a cost! There is no denying that the ground is old and in need of a facelift. This is something we as a Club must consider and look to change. A big project but something I believe is a necessity for our long term sustainability.
I also want to pay a bit of a tribute here to the ground staff, during the winter and more recently they have been working hard on the ground and in particular the square. It is great to see, especially during the last couple of weeks, the rollers and mowers out! Grace Road is starting to come back to life again.
Last month we also undertook a ‘staff survey’ to get a feel of the spirit in our camp. What came out, absolutely loud and clear, was that our staff are so committed and dedicated to the Club. For me this is so important. Any business relies on it's staff and in these challenging times we are going to need everyone to give it their all to get us through the next stage of the pandemic.
I’ve mentioned in previous updates about the County Partnership Agreement (CPA). This is effectively the standards we must achieve as instructed by the ECB. This includes everything from health and safety, to player welfare to our marketing and communications to name just a few. These set of standards are to be welcomed and help us focus on improving our operation. As such our CPA Champion (Jacqui Dean) along with all of the members of our Senior Management Team are working through section by section to ensure we meet the criteria. This may mean some changes to our approach and how we communicate but ultimately it will aim to drive the business forward with our governance and standards.
Cricket wise, despite no fixtures, it is still incredibly busy.
The players have been getting themselves ready for our 2021 campaign and I know they are very keen to get underway. During the month we received a bit of news that was bitter sweet for us. We are so delighted and proud that Callum Parkinson and Colin Ackerman have been selected for the inaugural edition of The Hundred. Their ‘drafting’ into the teams is deserved recognition for their continued efforts.
Disappointingly that does mean we lose two players during our 50-over campaign. However having said that, with our ‘Academy of Cricket’ concept, the vacancy of these places does mean that it’s a great opportunity for our younger players to claim the shirt, and I look forward to seeing some of our future stars break through.
Speaking of Callum, I am also delighted that he has become our Vice -Captain. He has been a great servant to the Club in his short career so far, and on his performances last year alone he has warranted this title. Naturally, I wish him and all the players well in the forthcoming competitions.
There is still some more work to be done on our cricket side of the business and would as always urge you to keep your eyes peeled on our social media channels as some more information should come soon.
As for training, once again I called in to see how the team are progressing and chatting to Paul Nixon and all the coaching staff, the team are looking fitter and stronger than ever.
With regards to our Community part of the business, it has been incredibly tough for them as lockdown was extended.
However, now with the ‘roadmap’ announcement, I am certain the team will swing back in to action. Monday, March 29, sees the return of recreational cricket, and I am sure the Community team will be touching bases with all of our local Clubs to support where they can.
What has been really encouraging for us during February is that we have seen 23 clubs now register for the All Stars and Dynamos Cricket programmes during the summer of 2021.
Our Women and Girls section continues to thrive and if you follow them online you will have seen many training session held including HIIT sessions, Dance Fitness and fielding debates to name just a few. I also want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Lucy Weston who has been selected for the Lightning Cricket Academy. Excellent work.
During the next month we are hoping to have some further news on our second initiative for our Foundation. Chatting to the team who are putting this together, we are all excited about this as a first for our Club, so again please look out for the news.
As we know Cash is always king in any business and is ultimately it's lifeblood.
Our cashflows remain very challenging, especially as we have lost nearly £200k worth of income through our catering business being closed over the winter. However I am pleased to report that this has been compensated by increased revenues in ground adverting, official partnerships with the Club and increased Memberships. I continue to urge our supporters to spread the message of the #ANewBreed here at Leicestershire and get involved. The more people and businesses that back us, the faster our rate of growth will be and Leicestershire CCC can once again thrive.
Finally I often talk about the social media channels at the Club… to help, here is a list of the Club's official Twitter handles that you might find useful;
@leicsccc – the Club's main Twitter account
@LCCCAcademy – our Academy news
@leicscricket – our Community department
@LCCC_Business – news from the Commercial team
@leicswomenccc – news from our Women’s and Girls
As always thanks for your continued support and see you soon!
Kind regards,
Sean
