Club Statement From the Chairman & Chief Executive
9 April 2020
Statement from the Club Chairman and CEO:
Dear Members and Supporters,
We hope this message finds you well at what is a hugely challenging period for us all, on a global scale. Our thoughts are with you and your loved ones at this difficult time.
We wanted to provide you with an update on the Club, the steps we have taken to protect it and our plans for the future.
As you will be aware, currently there is no cricket scheduled to be played until the end of May 2020. As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the world we have to be realistic that this period without cricket may well be extended further into the Summer. We spent much of the Winter preparing for the season in this, our 150th anniversary year, and we know it is a deep disappointment to all staff, players and everyone involved with the Club that the season has been delayed. We will also now miss the opportunity to see Cheteshwar Pujara play for the mighty Glos in the 2020 season which we know our supporters were really looking forward to.
The Club is coming off the back of an excellent financial year and is well placed to manage the challenges of this period. The ECB have been outstanding in their support of all First-Class Counties and the team there should be applauded for the speed and scale of their response to this crisis.
We have now significantly reduced the number of staff and players actively working, and through a combination of local and national government initiatives have realised sizeable savings for the months of April and May. This has an impact on what we can deliver – naturally BS7 Gym and Bristol Pavilion will remain closed for now but additionally the Club’s Ticket Office will not be in operation until further notice. Likewise, hospitality sales and enquiries will not be taken during this time.
As a result of all of these measures, our financial projections show that, even on the worst case scenario of no cricket at all this season, the Club should be able to break even this year and be ready to face the future in a strong financial position when this crisis has passed.
We would like to thank all our staff and players for their understanding at this time – the unity across the Club is something which is uniquely Gloucestershire and should make us all very proud to be part of. Even without cricket played there can be no doubt that we are still “One Team”.
Following both Government, Financial Conduct Authority and legal advice we have taken the decision to postpone the Club AGM and all matters relating to it, which was to be held on 20th April. When we have clearer guidance as to the shape of the season and amendments in social-distancing measures we will be in touch with the new date.
The Executive Board continues to meet and John Hollingdale as Chairman and David Jones as Deputy Chairman are in contact with Chief Executive Will Brown and the executive team regularly over the course of every week.
Our digital and marketing teams are working hard to deliver content for all of our supporters and we’d encourage as many of you as possible to keep an eye on the website and in particular our social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter; the ideas and discussions on them are always worth a read.
We know these are uncertain and worrying times for all of us but we wanted to reassure you that every effort is being made to plan responsibly for both our present and our future. Gloucestershire Cricket has weathered many a real and metaphorical storm and will be here for many seasons to come. Your support, as the heartbeat of the Club, has been fantastic and it is often the thing that keeps many of us going in these strange days. We love to hear from you in whatever way works for you and thanks to the many people who are sharing their lives with us at this time – it’s great to be a part of such a special family.
Rest assured we are ready to open our doors and welcome you all back as soon as is reasonably possible. In the meantime, stay safe.
With our best wishes,
John and Will
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