6
The Chairman’s comments cover in some detail at our
performances across all three competitions over the course
of the season. Consistent success in professional sport is an
elusive commodity but our record over recent years has been
admirable. Throughout 2015 we were competitive without
ever feeling as though we had performed at our collective
best. It is right and proper that a Club like ours judges itself
by only the highest standards and we must therefore ensure
we use the experiences from this campaign to spur us on to
re-newed heights next year. We have provided investment
and stability for our cricket at a time of considerable change
and uncertainty elsewhere around the game. I do not believe
we have become in any way complacent but our desire to
improve must be relentless.
In his report the Chairman refers to the changing landscape
that is domestic and international cricket. This year we
have seen what is needed to excel on the playing front. The
formulas for delivering success in red and white ball cricket are
starting to diverge ever more rapidly and if we are to continue
to compete successfully on all fronts we will need to evolve our
cricket plans and our capabilities. Against this background it
is vital that we have a robust business model which can feed
these aspirations. 2015 has certainly underlined the merits of
us making the bold moves we did when we re-developed the
stadium.
However much we love domestic cricket, making a success
of the Major Match days we host underpins all that we do
as a Club. The return of an Ashes Test match was overdue
and I am delighted to report that the game could not have
gone better. Another England victory and some outstanding
commercial numbers showed the world what a fantastic
ground we now have. The addition of a successful ODI and
another record crowd at NatWest t20 Blast Finals Day all
added to our credentials in this vitally important area. We know
these days are important from a financial perspective but I am
equally pleased to be able to say our customer experience
scores were also excellent. With more regular international
fixtures and the new facilities we are seeing more fans return
more often and that in turn delivers sustainable revenues for
the Club.
I am pleased to be able to report that we also enjoyed
another strong season of revenue growth for domestic cricket.
Membership numbers rose once again and t20 gate receipts
were up substantially on 2014. The latter was certainly helped
by the regular Friday night slots and was a just reward for
the investment we made in taking this format of the game
out into local communities. The appointment of a dedicated
t20 Manager and the push behind the Birmingham Bears
brand paid certainly dividends and I am excited about the
prospect of further growth in this area in the coming years.
Equally we will need to continue to ensure we value traditional
Championship cricket and the 50 over format where I still think
we can do more to improve the match day experience on
these occasions.
We are now starting to formulate some longer terms plans
for memberships, especially for more premium categories,
but for 2016 we have once again stuck with the approach of
recent times and I would like to thank everyone who supported
the team throughout the summer. It remains our simple goal
to attract more people to more of our games and to persuade
people to come to Edgbaston more often. We fully understand
that, that will demand good cricket, great service and facilities
and providing excellent value. In 2015 we have made good
progress on all fronts.
Our non-match day business is continuing to grow strongly.
The surpluses we can generate via these operations support
the cricket Club and are increasingly important to us. Compass
have once again provided excellent support as our joint
venture partners and we benefit hugely from their expertise
gained via other sports and venues. They are strong financially
and ‘get’ what we are about as a Club; they provide access
to top quality catering and retail skills that would otherwise be
elusive and share our long term vision. Across all areas – retail,
conference and events, hospitality – we saw record sales this
year and we forecast continued growth into 2016.
If both our cricket operations and our plans within EEL
continue to prosper we have no need to widen further our
portfolio of activities. The performance in 2015 has ‘proved’
the new business model. We know that it will be 2019 before
we have traded through the challenges that the absence of
Test Match cricket in 2013 and 2014 presented us with but I
am confident the worst of the business risks are over for now.
This is the result of a lot of hard work by all members of staff
and I want to congratulate them on what has been a sustained
effort. They have applied themselves with no little skill and
determination; they have deserved the outstanding off-field
results they have delivered this year.
The other area of significant progress during 2015 has been
in our community work. The Edgbaston Foundation is now
up and running and Ian Bell officially opened the Edgbaston
Foundation Sports Ground at Portland Road the week before
the Ashes Test Match. This is a multi-sport space, underpinned
with a formal community use agreement. Elsewhere we have
seen more work than ever before with schools and clubs
locally to make use of the square, outfield, nets and other
facilities at the main ground. We are closely aligned with WCB
in all that we do and in addition we have continued to provide
valuable financial support to our three main charity partners
– Lord’s Taverners, Fisher House and Cure Leukaemia. Much
of this work goes under the radar but there will be few, if any,
organisations in the region that put more back into society
than we do and there is no doubt we punch far above our
weight in these areas. We also continue to work via the
Residents Liaison Group to minimise the impact we have on
the quality of life for our near neighbours when the ground host
big events.
This will be my last annual report as Chief Executive. It is
almost 10 years since I took on the challenge of leading this
great Club. My thanks to everyone who has supported us
through what has been a turbulent period. I would like to say a
special thank you to those members who have stood loyally by
the team and to those new fans who have been persuaded to
come to Major Matches or to support the Birmingham Bears.
Thank you also to every member of staff and to the Committee
and Management Board. I hope the Club is now through the
worst of the ‘storm’ and can look forward to some calmer,
blue water in the years ahead. The Edgbaston of today is very
different to the one I walked into back in 2006 but it remains
a very special place – truly somewhere to be cherished by
all cricket fans. I wish the Club and my successor continued
success.
Chief Executive’s Report by Colin Povey
WARWICKSHIRE CCC MEMBERSHIP PROFILE 2015
ONE AND SIX YEAR MEMBERS AND FOUNDING PARTNERS
TOTAL 1 YEAR TOTAL 6 YEAR TOTAL
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP
3816
705 4521
TOTAL FOUNDING PARTNER MEMBERSHIP
351
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP
4872
