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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 13, 2015 15:49:35 GMT
I checked my notes and during the March 2014 AGM, Jim May explained that the club had initially drawn down £37,000 of the
ECB £1m but intended to draw a further £450,000 to improve Membership and gate receipts via better marketing and PR that
year. Around £50,000 of that money would be used also to improve drainage and other aspects of the ground and why I suggested
£400,000 being the ball-park figure. These marketing costs are being paid to 'Pleece' and 'Cobb PR' for their work + the cost of
printing and other materials + anything else associated.
While 'Pleece' are a contentious company given their style and approach, I certainly receive a lot more emails from the club, advertising
forthcoming events.
My notes also say that during the September 2014 Members Forum or 6 months later, our Chairman explained that the club had lost
over £100,000 from gate receipts that season, where T20 attendance figures were down by 10%. He blamed this on a "disjointed
fixture list". Also, the club lost around £70k revenue by not reaching a home QF in the two OD tournaments; the Sunday championship
starts were not a success for Sussex, whilst the lack of public interest in the new 50 over format prevailed right across the counties. So,
apart from receiving more informative emails from the Club, a lot of money was seemingly wasted on marketing matches. I have no idea
if Membership increased.
The good news was, off-field revenues were up 20% in 2014 and, hopefully, they will be up again this year.
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Post by fraudster on Oct 13, 2015 19:07:25 GMT
Did we really spend £400K of our loan on Marketing? Consultants? I don't know how much was spent on marketing, but how else could we have achieved "have some o' that" status? If you're not convinced, have a look at the Marketing Consultants' summary of the work they did for the club: www.pleeceandco.com/our-work/bringing-six-appeal-to-sussex-ccc/"Match report: We rebranded both the club itself and their integral 1839 hospitality operation. Visually, we moved them from merely occupying the crease to biffing sixes, from ‘the world’s oldest professional sports club’ to ‘have-some-of-that’ cricketing box office. Pow."  What in the name of frigging Lucifer was that? I don't know much about marketing myself, as a humble emu farmer, but if I were them, I wouldn't have used a picture of our best batsman trying to cut a ball that was obviously straight, for a sodding kick off. That whole thing is horrendous. On the pitch, where I'll remain, we're a good side, just poorly lead for some time. We're the best side Div 2's ever seen, including when we were last there. On a positive note, if we don't come straight back up, Robinson will surely be sacked. |
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jim
2nd XI player
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Post by jim on Oct 14, 2015 14:38:58 GMT
Some clarification
- each FCC was given £1m by loan then converted into a grant against a business plan. Some counties took the money in one drawdown
- Sussex has taken it in tranches and has used much of it for capital purposes such as relaying the ground and will use it towards the new business units to create rental streams
- we spent a fraction of the sum mentioned on marketing and it has helped our cash receipts from t20 to increase by over 20% this year (not including the quarter final)
- I have no idea where the £450k comes from!
- the ECB does not "punish" any FCC not taking the party line!
- Sussex will have a lower payment from the ECB in 2016 as we will no longer receive monies in respect of Matt Prior's England appearances
- we are all incentivised to play English qualified players with more for playing younger players. This is because studies have shown that successful international players tend to be those that play in the first team when young. FCCs are largely reliant on money from Team England which in turn largely comes from media deals
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 14, 2015 19:19:02 GMT
Jim,
Many thanks for your clarification particularly the less money due to Matt Prior's non-
England appearances.
I said the sum £450k because during the March 2014 AGM it was mentioned that 'the club
had initially drawn down £37,000 of the ECB £1m (the 'Business Improvement
Expenditure Plan') but intended to draw a further £450,000 during that same year to
improve Membership and gate receipts via better marketing and PR as well as improvements
to ground areas like upgraded irrigation etc..'
Therefore, I am delighted to hear that the money used on marketing and PR turned out
to be less than was put forward in March 2014.
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 15, 2015 7:06:55 GMT
Some clarification - each FCC was given £1m by loan then converted into a grant against a business plan. Some counties took the money in one drawdown - Sussex has taken it in tranches and has used much of it for capital purposes such as relaying the ground and will use it towards the new business units to create rental streams - we spent a fraction of the sum mentioned on marketing and it has helped our cash receipts from t20 to increase by over 20% this year (not including the quarter final) - I have no idea where the £450k comes from! - the ECB does not "punish" any FCC not taking the party line! - Sussex will have a lower payment from the ECB in 2016 as we will no longer receive monies in respect of Matt Prior's England appearances- we are all incentivised to play English qualified players with more for playing younger players. This is because studies have shown that successful international players tend to be those that play in the first team when young. FCCs are largely reliant on money from Team England which in turn largely comes from media deals Thank you jim, but I'm puzzled by the inference that Sussex received money in 2015 in respect of Prior's England appearances when his last England appearance was in July 2014 and his central contract was not renewed in October 2014. Were these payments made in arrears? |
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Post by flashblade on Oct 15, 2015 7:16:21 GMT
Some clarification - each FCC was given £1m by loan then converted into a grant against a business plan. Some counties took the money in one drawdown - Sussex has taken it in tranches and has used much of it for capital purposes such as relaying the ground and will use it towards the new business units to create rental streams - we spent a fraction of the sum mentioned on marketing and it has helped our cash receipts from t20 to increase by over 20% this year (not including the quarter final) - I have no idea where the £450k comes from! - the ECB does not "punish" any FCC not taking the party line! - Sussex will have a lower payment from the ECB in 2016 as we will no longer receive monies in respect of Matt Prior's England appearances- we are all incentivised to play English qualified players with more for playing younger players. This is because studies have shown that successful international players tend to be those that play in the first team when young. FCCs are largely reliant on money from Team England which in turn largely comes from media deals Thank you jim, but I'm puzzled by the inference that Sussex received money in 2015 in respect of Prior's England appearances when his last England appearance was in July 2014 and his central contract was not renewed in October 2014. Were these payments made in arrears? Also, I had assumed that Sussex would have been paying Matt's salary at the same time as they were receiving the ECB money re his central contract? So, don't both the payment and receipt drop out of the budget? If so, isn't there a net saving? It would be interesting to understand how this works. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 15, 2015 13:07:58 GMT
Another council bailing out a cricket county from potential bankruptcy, although the sum on offer seems rather meagre. This story offers credence to GDs so-called 'scoop' back in the Summer. Credit to the council for staggering the loan and stating they will be closely monitoring the situation, something perhaps, the Canterbury City Council failed to do with Kent. www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/breaking-news-northampton-borough-council-set-to-loan-250-000-to-northants-county-cricket-club-1-7008225www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34519605Meanwhile, Dobell, no doubt a little relieved, underwhelmingly writes on his twitter "Interesting..." Yet, the main story, I would humbly suggest, are the readers' letters and their views which are probably shared throughout the land. The 'special treatment' offered to cricket counties in financial straits by councils who are being forced to make difficult social cuts elsewhere, only please those who follow the club and I would imagine with Northants, given the angry response below, they represent a minority of the local populace. (please click to enlarge)    |
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Post by fraudster on Oct 15, 2015 18:46:41 GMT
Some clarification - each FCC was given £1m by loan then converted into a grant against a business plan. Some counties took the money in one drawdown - Sussex has taken it in tranches and has used much of it for capital purposes such as relaying the ground and will use it towards the new business units to create rental streams - we spent a fraction of the sum mentioned on marketing and it has helped our cash receipts from t20 to increase by over 20% this year (not including the quarter final) - I have no idea where the £450k comes from! - the ECB does not "punish" any FCC not taking the party line! - Sussex will have a lower payment from the ECB in 2016 as we will no longer receive monies in respect of Matt Prior's England appearances - we are all incentivised to play English qualified players with more for playing younger players. This is because studies have shown that successful international players tend to be those that play in the first team when young. FCCs are largely reliant on money from Team England which in turn largely comes from media deals Have you ever mentioned that last paragraph to your coach? He clearly disagrees with the first two sentences. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 23, 2015 9:02:38 GMT
Northants have now gained their £250,000 loan - staggered in two amounts - from the local council with the remit it must be paid off + interest after 5 years. "No county will go under during my watch" boomed Giles Clarke - little did he know then that county councils would become the ECBs primary ally. Unusually, both Conservative and Labour councillors agreed to the move during a meeting yesterday. This is a good challenge for a non-TMG to show off their business acumen. It is a comparatively small loan, although it's unclear exactly where the money can come from but presumably the ECB £1m can help Northants to increase the off-field revenues further. Also, one speculates, this could be an explanation why David Smith left the club as CEO and was later banned from entering the ground during matches by the club hierarchy. Perhaps, he had painted a more rosier picture of the county's finances? During his watch the club had invested close on £3m into members and spectators facilities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34604042 |
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Post by hhsussex on Nov 18, 2015 15:28:05 GMT
Ambitious plans announced by Yorkshire to refurbish the historic but long dilapidated Bradford Park Avenue ground ( yorkshireccc.com/news/view/4282/plans-are-a-step-nearer-to-revitalise-bradford-park-avenue) Between now and 2019 an investment of up to £5.5 million will be made shared between ECB, Yorkshire and Bradford Council. The proposal arose from a Sport England feasibility study into how interest in the game could be intensified in areas with a high South Asian ethnic mix. Once the facuility is complete it will contribute to revitalising local cricket, elite games of women's cricket and disabled cricket, and even the "odd firstclass game". Perhaps Sussex could look at capitalising on the high South Asian ethnic mix at some ground in or close to the Crawley area, and apply their community benefits expertise to fundraising at a national level to provide much-needed facilities and maybe more than just the odd first-class game? |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2015 17:16:05 GMT
Perhaps Sussex could look at capitalising on the high South Asian ethnic mix at some ground in or close to the Crawley area, and apply their community benefits expertise to fundraising at a national level to provide much-needed facilities and maybe more than just the odd first-class game? There already is one. It can't be more than about seven miles from the centre of Crawley and it takes 15 mins in a car. It's called Horsham and all the circumstantial evidence is that a decsion has already been taken (but not yet formally announced) to axe it !!!  |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Nov 19, 2015 12:52:36 GMT
Hhs,
Between now and 2019 an investment of up to £5.5 million will be made shared between ECB, Yorkshire and Bradford Council.You've gotta laugh. Yorkshire are presently £24m in debt. Where is their financial contribution going to come from? Another Colin Graves loan at 5.5% interest?  |
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Post by hhsussex on Nov 20, 2015 17:37:07 GMT
Another council bailing out a cricket county from potential bankruptcy, although the sum on offer seems rather meagre. This story offers credence to GDs so-called 'scoop' back in the Summer. Credit to the council for staggering the loan and stating they will be closely monitoring the situation, something perhaps, the Canterbury City Council failed to do with Kent. www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/breaking-news-northampton-borough-council-set-to-loan-250-000-to-northants-county-cricket-club-1-7008225www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34519605Meanwhile, Dobell, no doubt a little relieved, underwhelmingly writes on his twitter "Interesting..." Yet, the main story, I would humbly suggest, are the readers' letters and their views which are probably shared throughout the land. The 'special treatment' offered to cricket counties in financial straits by councils who are being forced to make difficult social cuts elsewhere, only please those who follow the club and I would imagine with Northants, given the angry response below, they represent a minority of the local populace. (please click to enlarge) And further to that comes a fuller Dobell story, which reads like one of his better ones, with a lot of detail and a cogent story to tell www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/942569.html |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Nov 20, 2015 18:00:48 GMT
Excellent work from GD. He has made this developing Northants CCC story his own for when he focuses on attention and effort
he's an excellent journalist. Just wish he would spend less time on the speculative and more time on the hard facts.
This is "a proper story" as some might say.
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Post by coverpoint on Nov 21, 2015 9:46:22 GMT
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