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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 1, 2015 11:12:38 GMT
Excellent financial news for the club today. The Friday T20 against Kent is a complete sell-out - not even tickets on the gate are available - and the Glamorgan game the following Friday is going the same way. The reasons are threefold: The club are on a winning streak; the present hot weather; and the summer time of year. Hopefully, the ECB will finally understand that holding T20s in April and May are a bad idea. But there is a twist to Sussex CCC good news. Due to ‘Elf & Safety’, while the club advertise the ground’s capacity as 7,000, this is way off the mark for T20 matches. In fact, the capacity allowed is only 5,500, which means that potentially around £30,000 is being lost per sell-out game because of, what some consider to be, the extreme nature of a suffocating regime. Meanwhile, the ‘Luke Wright Benefit Year’ is going very well and thanks to Luke’s recent Captain Marvel exploits on the field, his Benefit may improve further. RMJ - The Star of the Sussex Benefits  I chatted to someone involved and it seems the average amount of money raised for each Sussex player ‘Benefit Year’ is between £100,000 and £120,000. The most successful one in recent years was the Robin Martin-Jenkins Benefit which raised close to £200,000. Given no income tax is involved, these are impressive amounts of money, but of course, it’s all change from 2016 when the tax rules are altered as our government seek every ounce of income available to stop the country’s £1.3 trillion debt from rising further. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 11:28:24 GMT
There were reportedly 8,000 at Arundel for the ill-fated T20 v Surrey.
So how come Arundel has an H&S certificate for 8,000 and Hove only has one for 5,500?
And is the 5,500 with or without additional temporary stands being erected at the Cromwell Rd end?
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 1, 2015 12:05:22 GMT
Bm,
I was told 8,500 for Arundel but as we know, exact attendance figures can be rarely relied upon.
As to Hove and the 5,500 capacity I was quite amazed by this information. It seems that T20
games are much more strictly regulated by 'Elf & Safety' than both the 50 overs and the Championship.
So, why does Arundel get off so lightly?
Headingley, for example, has an advertised 17,000 ground capacity for Test matches, but for home T20s
this is reduced to 16,199. Perhaps, it's all the 'dangerous' sixes and the alcohol consumed but with the
'new cricket' sixes will become more apparent in all formats.
Like others, I find 'Elf & Safety' extreme in their manner and for Sussex CCC to be stopped from potentially
making an extra £30,000 per T20 home game is wrong.
It can also make a mockery of the ground capacity each county advertises as their figure can bear little relation
to the actual reality.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 12:20:27 GMT
Whether Arundel was 8,000 or 8,500 I still don't understand how it has a permitted capacity that is at least 50 per cent higher than the county ground. Is it because the surrounding fields make evacuation easier?
And is the Hove capacity of 5,500 with or without the erection of additional temporary stands?
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 1, 2015 14:43:04 GMT
Bm, I have no idea. To find these answers perhaps you can phone the club marketing department? One presumes Arundel is viewed as a far safer place than Hove which is surrounded by buildings and therefore harder to evacuate if there is a fire, for example. It must be about ground security. There cannot be any other reason. Therefore, if by some miracle a Royal London 50 over match attracts 5,500 is that the maximum too or does T20 carry a particularly dangerous 'WARNING' sign? "OO ARR - PIECES OF 20 -
NO-MORE THAN 5,500 ME
HEARTIES ALLOWED!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Rq5wzn-4k |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 1, 2015 16:33:37 GMT
Yet another local FREE magazine has entered the market, this time called 'Title Sussex'. A majority have the lifespan of a mayfly but one wishes it all the best. Flicking through the pages there is an immediate sense of an 'Absolute Magazine' reincarnation - the Brighton publication that controversially shut down last Autumn after owing a fair sum of money to local printers and the like. It is unclear whether former owner and publisher Alan Prior, a 'Hotel du vin' wine locker mate of Matt, is involved, but the new editor of 'Title Sussex' was a part of the previous 'Absolute'. Anyway, no surprise the Sussex club shop are distributing it, given the possible Prior connection, and hey-ho there is a fun feature on the 'player of the moment' Luke Wright. Did you know his favourite film is 'Shawshank Redemption' and he believes the hardest- working Sussex player is Ajmal Shahzad. Meanwhile, the 'Title' has a famous contributor, Brighton inhabitant Julie Burchill, who writes about her holiday in Madeira. (Please click on the pics to gain an enlargement)   |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 2, 2015 13:17:39 GMT
We received an email from Ian Waring, Sussex CCC Operations and Facilities Manager, today who had read yesterday's debate
on the T20 ground capacity for the Kent match. He has very kindly sent us a response which clarifies the situation.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi,
I noticed your topic on ground capacity at The County ground, specifically for tomorrow’s match and I thought how this figure is set may
be of interest to you.
The ground capacity for every event is reviewed and set whilst considering two major factors – Health & Safety and Customer enjoyment,
and in that order.
Safety
Given the buildings etc are routinely examined by external experts we have no concerns about the ability of the stands to utilise
all the fixed seats we have available.
Emergency Egress
The designated place of safety in the event of an emergency is the outfield which can easily accommodate far more people than the set capacity
for cricket games. Spectators can only be held in this place of safety for so long before we need to carry out a full evacuation of the premises.
The width and number of exits out of our arena into the public highways etc.. is also considerably greater than we need for our current cricket
crowds to do so within a period of time agreed with the emergency services. Therefore the capacity at the County Ground for Cricket matches is
set based on customer service reasons more than for safety reasons, as we could justify more than 7,000 if we wanted to purely on safety grounds.
Customer Service
The areas of concern to us and why we set a lower capacity than could be justified on Health & Safety grounds are the general admission areas. We
feel that the Pavilion, SW stand, and Hospitality areas, which will be busy on T20 matches etc, but will still offer a good standard of viewing, access
to toilets, bars etc. These areas are definitely sold out for tomorrow and usually are the first to sell out on the busy matches with general admission
the last to sell out.
So having a capacity of greater than tomorrow’s 5,500 would mean that the excess would all be in general admission areas, which do not have the same
high quality level of viewing as the other fixed seat areas. Even with a capacity of 5,500 it is likely some people will be standing, some prefer to do so
anyway, but some, usually the later arrivals will be standing as it offers a better view than the last few seats that remain. Adding say 500 to the capacity
(up to 6,000) would mean another 500 in general admissions areas which would not just prove unsatisfactory for these 500 but the impact they have on
the others would also be considerable.
The recent change of preventing those with reserved seat tickets in the Pavilion, SW stand from going into general admission areas is also to control the
number in the general admissions areas.
Having a reserved seat ticket in the Pavilion and then sitting in the general admission area is actually having one ticket but using up two precious seats and
not fair to those in general admission areas who can’t go into the Pavilion or SW stand.
Who Sets The Capacity ?
Initially the Operational dept with involvement from local authority and emergency services etc for safety reasons and then internal discussion relating to
customer service etc, especially if it is felt it is better to reduce the capacity from the absolute maximum safe compliant levels and it is then for the Commercial
dept to sell it.
Feedback
As we have frequent safety inspections and customer experience surveys we now have much more feedback from customers than ever before, also through social
media or ECB and our own surveys etc, the above negative in general admissions areas is a common theme amongst this feedback.
Therefore our view is that 5,500 happy spectators being offered a good experience is better than the short term financial opportunity of say 6,000 but then risk having
many, many spectators unhappy with their experience at SCCC and unlikely to return.
7,000 Capacity
This is officially the grounds capacity for cricket matches but is only possible with better levels of facility than we can offer for tomorrow i.e. tiered seating. Temporary
stands have been used in recent years and can add 1,500 to the capacity. The costs of hiring in such a stand is only viable if you can sell more than 5,500 tickets and
use the temporary stand on several occasions and within a short period of time e.g. X3 T20 games within a two week window as used to be the case.
Arundel
Each ground has different layouts. Arundel has vast open spaces, much of which provides natural viewing slopes, and people are used to and happy to bring their own chairs,
therefore the capacity is higher. The crowd for this year’s T20 was 7,200, which is just below the capacity we set, and whilst we could go to 14,000 purely on safety grounds
I am sure you would agree many more than 7,200 and it would have been too crowded for viewing, toilets, bars, car parking etc for those 7,200 to enjoy the experience.
Sussex CCC Operational Planning
We have produced a document that is already being used by other counties and organisations as a template for good practice. Having staged concerts, fireworks, sky divers
and of course cricket matches in a very tight residential space whilst also having five trading tenants within our premises means we have probably experienced everything a
venue can and makes most other venues objectives simple by comparison. I am happy to show you the document, which is extensive to say the least at 102 Mb.
The Future
The expectation of spectators at sports grounds has changed massively in recent years, just as it has at the local cinema etc. Ten years ago local sports fans had the pre-
developed County ground and the Withdean as the only local venues to visit and did so in large numbers and some have great memory’s, years ago at the time I was happy
to stand on some dreadful and horrendously overcrowded football terraces in the 70’s but hardly saw the game, but not many people would tolerate this these days.
Only with the addition of a temporary tiered stand is the capacity likely to increase at the county Ground Hove in the short term. Fixed stands in the North part of the ground,
like the SW stand would increase the capacity, but could restrict other events taking place which need open areas for flexibility. It would of course be a very costly and risky
investment just to accommodate a few more people on say 4 occasions per year. However, nothing is ruled out, cricket has changed enormously in recent years and who knows
what lies ahead.
We at SCCC are constantly looking at ways to improve the standards, our range of events/opportunities and to raise the capacity if we feel it is beneficial to do so.
Ian Waring, Operations & Facilities Manager
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Post by hhsussex on Jul 2, 2015 13:57:55 GMT
Very good to get such a detailed response from the club. It is reassuring that they feel comfortable in dealing openly with comments and responding to feedback positively.
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Post by flashblade on Jul 2, 2015 15:16:11 GMT
Yes, I found Ian Waring's very comprehensive memo interesting and highly enlightening. Thanks, Ian, for taking the trouble to put this together for us.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 3, 2015 6:14:01 GMT
Many thanks to Ian Waring for posting his views on the T20 ground capacity debate. There are several points I would like to raise.
Reading between the lines there seems to be this ‘grey area’ - that extra 500 admission from 5,500 to 6,000. Waring writes, “So
having a capacity of greater than tomorrow’s 5,500 would mean that the excess would all be in general admission areas, which do
not have the same high quality level of viewing as the other fixed seat areas.”
I remember the days when as a youngster I dared to venture into the Albion’s Goldstone ground ‘North Stand’. I chose to watch a
match there not because of the viewing but because of the experience, the camaraderie and the atmosphere. I would suggest the
North East Terrace at Hove has a similar cache.
Given there are three more T20 home games this season including tonight’s, if the capacity was extended to 6,000, it is likely given
the side’s present momentum, the time of year + the Ashes that each forthcoming match will be a sell-out. That additional 500 admission
would financially bring in for the club £10,000 per game or £30,000 + the extra alcohol sales. Then, and let us be positive, Sussex gain
a QF at Hove = £50,000+... a lot of money for a small county who heavily rely on T20 income to boost their annual accounts.
I accept that 7,000 is too many, but I believe a 6,000 capacity is acceptable when the financial aspects are pitted against the ‘high quality
level of viewing’ argument.
A T20 Friday evening is about having a good time, sharing the match with your mates whilst downing some bevies and not about the best
viewing spots. That is the North East Terrace mentality, anyway. And that is where a majority of an additional 500 admission, surely, could
be placed.
As to erecting temporary stands unless it is an Australian touring match, I don’t see the benefit, given the cost and hassle it brings. And
interesting how once again the media got the attendance figure all wrong at Arundel. The number bandied about was for between 8,000 and
8,500 yet Ian Waring emphasises 3xs in one paragraph that the actual figure was 7,200.
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Post by leedsgull on Jul 3, 2015 7:20:58 GMT
The current Essex v Australia match is regularly referred to on commentary as being a "sell out". The figure quoted is 4,000. This seems exceptionally small as 20/20 crowds are often quoted as 6-7,000 at Chelmsford. The business of accurate attendance figures is a murky one for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2015 7:59:10 GMT
So we need T20 to return to a concentrated four week period in June/July rather than the competition being spread out from May until August, then Sussex can bring in a temporary stand at the Cromwell Rd end and restore the capacity to 7,000.
The Friday nights spread over three months model has so much wrong with it one wonders how the ECB ever came up with such a flawed plan in the first place.
Much credit to Sussex for putting the comfort of existing customers above cramming in more spectators.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 3, 2015 8:46:43 GMT
Bm,
I agree with you but Gordon Hollins at the ECB stated last year that T20 Friday evenings throughout the season would be 'tested'
until the earliest 2017. But, hopefully, Colin Graves will have a say along with a majority of county CEOs. Let us go back to the
mid-summer window of June-August and hope the appalling weather of 2012 will never return. It was that more than anything
that changed the ECBs previous view.
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Post by leedsgull on Jul 3, 2015 10:16:57 GMT
I thought it was the product of their ridiculous survey and creating "an appointment to view" that resulted in the present position.
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Post by flashblade on Jul 3, 2015 10:35:50 GMT
I thought it was the product of their ridiculous survey and creating "an appointment to view" that resulted in the present position. FGS, what marketing geek thought that one up?! After learning that Sussex had been transformed into an " 'ave some o' that!" club, nothing that marketeers dream up surprises me anymore.  |
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