Accounts for 2014 and AGM

Doh! It isn't the accounting that is smoke and mirrors, its the way that the figures are presented.

The situation that Sussex is in illustrates perfectly the crisis of cricket in England. Some very eloquent contributors to the board have said that these tales of decline are as old as the hills, that 40 years ago they were told cricket was on its last legs, and that somehow it still manages to muddle through. I understand that viewpoint, but I think that there have been some very significant changes to society and finance in the recent past that greatly magnify the severity of the problems we face.

Sussex can look at its situation in Robinson Crusoe style as a ledger of For and Against statements

For

It doesn't have any debt

Against

Hove isn't a Test ground and can't expect the gate and associated revenues that go with that status

For

Hove has newly built and refurbished facilities

Against

It  can't hold more than 5, 000 at most

For

Hove has excellent transportation links to and from London and a huge area of Southern England

Against

There are a wealth of alternative leisure facilities in the same area

For

Sussex has increased its off-field income through commercial and sponsor acrtivities by nearly 40%

Against

Membership has declined by a further 10% and catering and retailing income has also declined

For

An excellent playing record since 2000, second only to Warwickshire in the championship for wins and a number of one-day trophies

Against

No trophies of any kind for 5 years and a growing wages bill as we recruit more extensively to maintain position(sq 2014 v 2013 but certain to increase in 2015)

Etc, etc.

It is a balance, but a precarious one and the status of the game in public perception nowadays doesn't allow for any complacency. The loss of 1st Division status would be a calamity because it would require hundreds of thousands to be spent to get back to that position. Probably it wouldn't have any great effect on membership but that has become increasingly irrelevant; the key concerns would be about sponsorship income and reputational status as a desirable venue. The county is not equipped to maximise on a higher-profile T20 tournament because it simply can't get enough people into the ground. Thus, a Big Bash based on the existing counties, with high-profile marketing and merchandising, would greatly benefit the TMGs even if they performed badly; Sussex would watch the money going to Lord's , The Oval, even to horrible Hampshire.

And it is from innovation that clubs must depend if they are to continue to be able to offer the chance of developing cricket for the health, enjoyment and cultural enrichment of the community around them. To meet that  £110K cost of annual IT and fixtures servicing would require 550 new members, every year, at the current Standard membership charge. Not just in 2015 but every year after that. It might be done through a different concept of membership, a different pricing structure, but it won't ever be achieved by wrapping up however prettily the current offering of a few Championship games at Hove and a couple on outgrounds, and some evening matches with one eye on the clock for the trains, and the other looking out to avoid being deluged by someone's stale beer.

We have a lot of positive factors, a club with a great history, splendid locations in the county, and some exciting playing strengths. Its up to all of us now to make sure that the right opportunities are taken to keep this tradition alive and revitalised.

The Club Documents section of the website has a notice stating:-

PLEASE NOTE: Strategy for Sussex Cricket 2015 – 2019
The final version of this summary document is in development and will be posted as soon as it is available.

This refers to the Strategy document produced by Jon Filby, referred to in Zac Toumazi'sNotice of Integration of SCCC and SCB, distributed with the Annual Report. Will it be available before the AGM?

A short note of the AGM, for the benefit of those who couldn't make it, or may be interested but excluded from attending for various reasons.

The meeting was attended by fewer than 100 people, many of them occupying posts in the SCCC/SCB currently. It was good-humoured, intensely loyal and supportive of the Report and its conclusions on the status of the club.

The main business was concluded by 8 pm, with two presentations highlighting key aspects of the club's standards: those of the accounts, by new Treasurer Ed Putnam (happy birthday today, Ed), and of the steps towards integration into Sussex Cricket Ltd, formed from Sussex CCC and the Sussex Cricket Board, by the club's new President, David Bowden.

Much of the presentation of the accounts was covered in the Annual Report, but Ed did particularly highlight the need to depreciate on assets for a reasonable time, and reiterated that the club was determined to find a way of investing funds against future rebuilding needs. This year's ECB business improvement money would be used largely to finance the development of the new office units in the North-East corner of the ground. This should bring in considerable revenue, although the Chairman was unable to say with confidence exactly what kind of market would be attracted to rent them.

David Bowden briefly described the process of bringing together the respective organisations for the club and development game in Sussex and the professional game into one unit, a process involving consultation with stakeholders, led by Jon Filby and due to take place this summer, leading to a formal voting for amalgamation process in autumn 2015. The new organisation, a Community Benefits society  with a charitable trust, will draw on elected officials from both sides of the game within Sussex, and will have up to 3 Executive Directors, including a place for the CEO of the current SCCC. On a question relayed by David Bowden, he assured the membership that funds would be equally ring-fenced so that the professional side should not suffer by diverting funds to shore up the amateur/development game, nor should the wider game be starved of support because of the needs of the professional game. Clearly some tensions will exist that will have to be managed, and it will be good to read Jon Filby's Strategy document for the 2015-2019 period when it becomes available. John Barclay also spoke eloquently, in his best Bertie Wooster manner, in favour of the benefits of the proposal and of its inevitability, as being clearly a natural development in the game he had played in the 70s and 80s.

There were no alternative candidates proposed for the election of directors retiring after their initial term of office, and therefore messrs Filby and Warren were re-elected. All proposed vice-presidents were duly elected and with no other business the Chairman invited Mark Davis to make a presentation about winter activities and prospects for the season.

Excluding those who were on England duty or had contracts elsewhere during the winter, Mark had coached the remainder of the squad, about 8 players in 4 key areas, described as "skills acquisition" and listed below, as well as setting up a programme of engaging with the community. For someof the key skills Mark had engaged proficients from other sports to come in and share their knowledge. These were:

Playing the short ball
Playing against big spin (defined as "on turning wickets such as Horsham")
Playing the swinging ball
Striking the ball


Mark emphasised, particularly with the last-named skill, the need to recognise that the sport had moved on since T20 and that this was a weakness with Sussex. A baseball coach had come in, with apparently good results, to share the proficiencies learnbed from that game to help maximise on scoring opportunities. A professional boxer had advised on footwork, and a Hurling player had come in, to the delight of Ed Joyce, but with unknown intent, to show what was needed in that game.

After Mark's presentation there were a few questions about playing issues (Would Matt Prior play this year? Mark said that his was the worst achilles injury known, that Matt was working hard on fitness, that it would take time to recover and we should not expect early results), and about the man psychological challenges for the team (Mark says that the focus is on concentrating on the job in hand, playing ther next ball rather than the one befote).

Following that Jim May summed up briefly, stated that membership was up "at this stage of the year" on last year, without giving details, and declared that as there were no more questions the meeting was closed. There was no mention of the engagement of Jayawardene for the T20, or of his rumoured successor for the remainder of the summer.

hhs,

Many thanks for your report. Ones hopes the annual rental income derived from the offices when complete will be anywhere between
£100k and £150k.