Chief Executive Will Brown to step down this season
22 May 2024
Gloucestershire Cricket can today announce that Chief Executive, Will Brown, will be leaving the Club this summer.
Will joined the Club in September 2013 and has overseen the continued growth and diversification of the Club since that time. On the field this has included the winning of the Royal London One Day Cup in 2015, promotion to Division 1 of the County Championship in 2019 and the formation and 2 cup wins of Western Storm. The period has also seen an unprecedented growth of International cricket at Nevil Road with regular Men’s and Women’s International matches being played over the last decade including the hosting of the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017 and the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2019.
Off the field there have been major facilities developments including new stands, the installation of floodlights, major refurbishments of the BS7 gym and the Thatcher’s Bar & Kitchen as well as bringing new facilities such as a Multi-faith room and “changing places” facilities into the ground.
It is the community and governance aspect that Will may be best remembered for as the Club firmly established itself as a leader in cricket for its community, environmental sustainability, governance and ED&I work.
Talking about his decision, Will said:
“I have absolutely loved my time at Gloucestershire Cricket and it has been one of the greatest honours of my life to serve the Club I have supported my whole life. The decision to leave is not one I have taken lightly and it has taken me months of agonising to reach this point. This decision is one I made much earlier in the year and is a personal one based on what I believe the Club needs and my own future, especially in light of my bike accident of last year.
I leave in the knowledge that we have a fantastic group of players, coaches, staff and volunteers who are completely dedicated to the Club and its future.
In the last few months we have re-structured our coaching and finance departments, acquired financial support for the future of the Club, secured Men’s and Women’s International cricket all the way through to 2031 and are making progress in our exploration of a move from the Nevil Road site. Over the next few months up until my departure we will also secure additional investment into Women & Girls cricket locally, confirm our new County Partnership Agreement (CPA) with the ECB, bid for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and work with the ECB on the future of the Hundred and Gloucestershire’s role within in it. Whilst there is always more to do this feels like a good time to move on to my next adventure in the knowledge that the Club’s future is secure and exciting.
I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has made me and my family so welcome, it is a wonderful thing that your children want to come to work with you and I look forward to cheering on all of our fabulous teams from the boundary edge for many years to come.”
Commenting on Will’s departure, Steve Nelson, Acting Chair, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, said:
“It has been a pleasure to work with Will over the last 5 years and we are very grateful for all he has done at Nevil Road. His tenure has seen a step change in hosting international cricket and this will very much be his legacy to the Club.
He has always been a very positive leader, a skill that came to the fore when faced with the difficult challenges of running the Club throughout the pandemic. This needed him to be truly resilient, taking others with him, and he rose to the challenge in these difficult times. He has also worked tirelessly on ensuring the Club builds its reputation for environmental sustainability and community work which will be key building blocks for the future success of the Club.
All of us at Gloucestershire wish him the very best in whatever challenge he takes on next and he will be missed!”
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club board are already working on plans for the leadership of the club in in the short and long term, including recruiting a new CEO. Members will be kept informed as these plans develop over the coming weeks.
