Membership update from the CEO and Chairman
30 July 2020
We hope you are well and have been able to enjoy some more freedoms than has previously been the case during this Coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately that hasn’t of course included watching Gloucestershire Cricket, either at the Bristol County Ground or as part of the Cheltenham Festival, which has been a great disappointment for everyone connected with the Club.
We are naturally delighted to be able to see the resumption of cricket on 1st August, albeit behind closed doors at first, and are very pleased with the fixtures we have been allocated as part of the Bob Willis Trophy.
Player welfare and the health and safety of our support staff has always been our number one priority throughout this whole lockdown and return-to-cricket process. We have discussed the intricacies of returning to playing cricket at some length across all levels of the Club and notably, the Executive Board, where the subject of employee safety has been paramount. We have a detailed operational plan covering all areas of our business and are working hard to continue to ensure these plans are delivered in full. In hosting Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire at home in the Bob Willis Trophy, we have negated the need for players to have to stay in hotels, as those three venues would have been too distant to commute to and from. Our players will travel daily to the away Glamorgan and Somerset fixtures in a socially-distanced manner, thus reducing the risks to our players in needing to access widely-used areas.
Many of you will have seen the Government’s announcement about the potential return of crowds to sports events from October 1st. It is great that cricket has been chosen as a test sport for the return of spectators and we very much hope that the Bristol County Ground is given the chance to host pilot matches this summer. Similarly we hope that, if safe to do so, that the October 1st date is moved forward to allow cricket supporters into the ground. If that was possible we would focus on giving our existing membership priority access to those matches.
Regardless of whether we are able to invite Members into the Ground for some or all of our fixtures, we feel now is the appropriate time to ask Members to decide on what you would like to do regarding your 2020 membership.
We have previously written to those with annual memberships to ask them to consider donating their subscription to the Club, and we have been overwhelmed and greatly touched by the response we have received. If you have waited for further clarity on the season, but have now decided you would like to donate your membership, then you can follow a simple process of notifying us by clicking here.
Members who donate their membership will then also be eligible for a 25% discount from their 2021 fees. Plus, in doing so, you will also automatically qualify as an ‘Anniversary Member’ for 2021, and your name will be included on a commemorative ‘150’ plaque to be installed at the ground in April 2021. You will also receive 4 complimentary tickets to a County Championship match of your choice. Finally, if there is cricket to be played in front of members this year then you will receive priority booking for these matches. There are absolutely no expectations at the Club – we know we’re asking a lot here.
We can also now clarify the alternative options regarding your membership. If you would simply like to ‘rollover’ your annual subscription, you can do so by clicking on this link. Members who ‘rollover’ will be eligible for all the benefits in 2021 that would have been expected going into the 2020 season, and will also be eligible to attend games this season, should that become an option in the weeks to come.
If you have decided that you would prefer a full refund on your membership this year, then we would ask you to email us here to notify us in writing. We would also request that you make it clear how you would like us to process the payment to you. We will endeavour to process these refunds and respond to enquiries as swiftly as possible, but trust you understand that our colleagues are currently inundated with a myriad of enquiries related to the ever-changing circumstances that we are operating in, and they will get back to you as soon as they can.
The Bristol County Ground, together with our newly-launched playing kits, are looking pristine as we near the start of this delayed season, and we hope you will take the opportunity to watch the ball-by-ball coverage of our Bob Willis Trophy matches. We are pleased to be able to offer an enhanced camera provision as part of this bespoke production (which includes commentators), for all our members and supporters to enjoy in the weeks to come – and we hope you get to see some great Gloucestershire performances in the process! These matches are available to view through our Match Centre here.
If you have any questions about the membership options available to you or would like to talk to someone at the Club directly, please don’t hesitate to contact us on membership@glosccc.co.uk or call 0117910 8017 number.
Once again we’d like to send you our very best wishes at this time and thank you once again for your support.
Will and John
