Will Getting To Grips With New Job
10 September 2013
New Gloucestershire chief executive Will Brown is settling in at the Bristol County Ground and has given his first interview to this website since taking over from Tom Richardson at the beginning of last week.
Will admits that at times it has felt as though he was still sitting in Tom’s office. But with each day he is feeling more at home and getting to know more about the way the club operates.
He said: “I’ve really enjoyed my first week in the job. The staff have been very good in helping me ease into it and, while it is a sharp learning curve for me at the moment, I am very happy to have got started.
“It’s great to be getting a feel for the place after coming here for so many years as a fan. I am beginning to learn how everyone works together to make a club like this function efficiently.”
Will’s first week as chief executive coincided with the three-day LV= County Championship win over Leicestershire at Bristol, so it could hardly have been a better start.
“The guys played really well and what was most interesting for me was to see what a terrific team spirit we have here,” he said. “Every player contributed to that victory and it was fascinating for me to meet and talk with them for the first time.
“On the Wednesday they invited me up to the dressing room balcony, which was a really nice gesture. I had been a bit nervous about jumping in amongst them during a match, so I was grateful that they wanted to chat to me.
“When I went back there at the end of the game on Thursday I got an insight into the attitude of professional cricketers. I spoke to Mr Klinger and Mr Marshall and said ‘well played’ to them, but their response was that they only got starts and were disappointed not to have gone on to major scores.
“As I recall, both got 80-odd, so to call that a start, rather than a big score, shows the ambition that exists among our squad.”
During the game Will took the opportunity to walk around the ground and chat to members and other supporters.
“I got a lot of requests, but also a lot of help,” he said. “Some of the things asked for were a bit off the wall and took me by surprise, but more than anything I was struck by the enthusiasm there was for Gloucestershire cricket.
“There were a lot of kind comments about Tom Richardson and the job he did here and a lot of support for me looking ahead. People love our club and that really came through.”
While prepared as well as possible by his predecessor for his new job, Will admits he didn’t realise how far reaching the role of chief executive was.
Just before conducting this interview he received a call about the prospect of choosing a song to be the club’s anthem.
"I guess that’s part of my remit too,” he said with a smile. “It’s only since I have been working with the team in the offices here that I have come to understand just what a range of things they deal with.
“We had a ground health and safety inspection during the Leicestershire match and it was really interesting for me to sit down with two guys who were here on behalf of the ECB and the Sports Ground Safety Authority to talk about the challenges we face.
“That was not something I thought about being involved in when I applied for the job. You think about things like how the team perform, ground development, catering or parking, but I am finding there are a vast number of other issues I need to be involved with.”
Part Two of this interview with Will Brown will feature on this website later in the week when he will discuss among other things the development of the Mound Stand, which will take place during the winter.
