Leicestershire Monthly Report - October 2021

Welcome to the first edition of my CEO updates for the new 2022 season.

I say new season as it’s the start of our new financial year and we are now planning for the 2022 campaign, and indeed, beyond.

It’s fair to say we are off to a bit of a flyer. In the first month there has been lots of activity across the whole business, all with the intention of moving us forward and to continue the new chapter that we have started.

If you read my update last month, hopefully you will have drawn the conclusion that 2021 was one of a positive step with some incredible challenges but great glimpses of exciting times ahead. What’s more, the upcoming season is definitely going to be an exciting one if the first month is anything to go by.

I’ll start with our Cricket Pillar.

Despite the season drawing to a close and us reflecting on what has happened, we have now made further strides to continue the upward trajectory.

Firstly it’s great that former player, and one of very few men to have won a hat-trick of T20 trophies; Claude Henderson, has joined as Director of Cricket. In the first month, behind the scenes, I have seen the impact Claude is making. He is bringing not only an extra dimension to help our Head Coach Paul Nixon, but also working with Dips Patel in the Second XI and Ali Maiden in the Academy.

Claude’s appointment is allowing us all to laser focus on further improvements. The recruitment team, including Claude, has been very busy too. Hopefully via our website and official channels, you will have seen not only the recruitment of Tom Scriven, who is another exciting prospect to join our developing team, but also the return of leading wicket taker from the 2021 T20 Vitality Blast, and currently playing in the World Cup, Naveen-ul-Haq.

As reported there were other counties interested in him, but it’s great that he has returned as a Running Fox.

Naveen also put on his agent hat for the Running Foxes after having a huge part to play in the recruitment of fellow Afghan international, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, an exciting top-order batsman who also doubles up as a wicketkeeper. We are very much looking forward to seeing Rahmanullah in the green of Leicestershire.

Rest assured we are leaving no stone unturned within our budget and parameters to ensure we continue to not only compete but go on and achieve our aims, targets and goals. 

The KPI’s we have set ourselves will challenge us and if we meet them, your Membership subscription will be one of incredible value!

Which brings me nicely onto the Commercial Pillar.

Our Commercial team have hit the ground running for 2022. There still an enormous amount of work to do but nonetheless a good start to our new campaign. Firstly, the 2022 Memberships have been launched and there are some great signs.

At the time of writing, we had just launched them but seemed to have gone down well with our supporters. If you hadn’t noticed we have returned to the free U16 Membership and have also introduced a new Associate Membership for just £25. In other words, turning a pony in to a Fox. Memberships are a critical part of the Club and we feel we have a little something for everyone.

Consequently, I would urge you to take a look at our website; www.leicestershireccc.co.uk, and consider signing up.

There are going to be some entertaining times ahead, particularly as I have asked the Cricket Team to deliver ‘Heavy Metal Cricket’ in the T20! What’s more, they make a great Xmas present for that someone special in your life!

The other big news from Commercial is the return of a major concert to the Uptonsteel County Ground. In 2021, we had West End Stage Shows including Tina and Queen which proved to be successful, but it was great to announce that Paloma Faith is heading to Leicestershire as part of her UK tour. For us this is not only great news as we continue to build the ground as the ‘Premier Outdoor Venue’ for our area, but also it represents a major revenue stream for the Club.

Partnerships have started well and great to see a number already sign up for 2022. We recently announced that IMA Architects, the Fan Experience Company and The Commercial Flooring Company have committed to 2022. Over the coming weeks there is set to be a number of press releases composed around our corporate offerings and developments.

From a Company perspective, there is no let up as we progress as a business or with our facilities here at the ground.

One of our major strategies for the new season is to look at the customer journey, and in particular the entrance to the Uptonsteel County Ground.

As you may have seen one of the elements to this is a much needed memorial garden. Having chatted to our members, they were keen to see this introduced so our Operations Team have cracked on and we are aiming to get the garden up by the turn of the year.

Behind the scenes, we have created an internal group called the Club Improvement Committee (CIC). This is made up of representatives from our staff from each of the five pillars of our Club.

Having attended the first meeting I was impressed by their desire to make ‘our lot’ a better one.

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can make a huge difference and the staff have already identified a number of things that can help us move forward as a business. I will try and mention some of them as the CIC group begin to get their teeth into the projects.

Next month will see a big meeting with the ECB. This will be to review the County Partnership Agreement, and over the past 18 months our team have been working hard to ensure our working practices are of the standard required, and this meeting will be a chance to reflect on those whilst at the same time ensuring that our development is on track.

It is my intention to try and make our Club lead the way and be the envy of others. That naturally will take time and the right staff to do it, but I do feel we are taking the correct strides.

Onto the Community Pillar.

Even though the summer cricket season has finished, there is equally no let up on our Community Department continuing to be active during the winter.

What has been really great to see if the delivery of the ECB Chance to Shine street initiative now underway at four locations. This is brilliant for us as we want to ensure that cricket meets all of our varied communities.

One of our objectives is also to get our Commercial and Community pillars working closely to continue to help us spread the word. Over the course of the winter and into 2022, clubs and schools should begin to see an improved flow of information on the opportunities we have.

Our aim is to not only get children playing more cricket but also to get them to back and support the Running Foxes, providing us with a new generation of supporters.

If you are considering become a coach then our Coaching courses will continue in the close season and anyone considering becoming a coach would be well advised to take a look at what is on offer and contact our Community department. I have seen the courses in action and it was impressive to see.

Finally, it’s also pleasing to hear our Women and Girls engagement is continuing to grow and a winter programme is being planned. Again, having seen the teams in action this summer, you can see why this is one of the fastest growing areas of our Club.

Now for the Cash Pillar.

Cash is always king and our year end accounts will be published in due course. What I can say at this stage, that whilst we have faced COVID-19 and the challenges that brings, our financial performance has beaten what we budgeted for. This is a trait that I am keen for us to continue.

As always I will endeavour to keep you posted on our financial situation through the year, but the message for month one and two couldn’t be clearer “ please continue to purchase Memberships and tickets to our range of events.

We continue to need your support as we not only exit the pandemic but look to try recover and rebuild this great Club.

Without your support our cricket club would not exist. After all, we are #CountyTogether.

I look forward to catching up in month two.

Sean