Business News The Griffin Report
Cricket may have been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but at the Edgbaston ground the new season is anticipated with optimism. There will be a Test Match against New Zealand, with or without a crowd, and chief executive Stuart Cain’s ambition to preside over the best cricket club in the world is undiminished. Chamberlink columnist Jon Griffin paid a pre-season visit to the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Stuart Cain’s long-term ambition for Edgbaston is quite simple. “We want to be the best cricket club in the world,” he says, a clear upbeat message of intent contrasting starkly with the grey wintry skies enveloping one of the world’s most famous Test Match arenas. Even a ground as distinguished as the home
of Warwickshire County Cricket Club has to endure the midwinter blues, let alone Covid-19, but Stuart is determined to see the Bears bounce back in style from the temporary negative effects of a 2020 season ravaged by the virus. In a pre-season interview at Edgbaston, the
chief executive told ‘Chamberlink’ of his determination to lead the Bears to success on and off the field amid increasing hopes that the Covid vaccination programme will allow fans back into Edgbaston for competitive action for the first time since September, 2019. The club, which took a near £1m hit from the effects of Covid, has received a major pre-season boost with the award of a Test Match in June against New Zealand, currently the number one ranked international red ball side in the
world. And further ahead, the Bears'
determination to remain at the top table of the summer game will be reinforced with the third phase of the masterplan for the redevelopment of Edgbaston, including the
futures of the Wyatt, Raglan and Priory stands – and potentially a new hotel project. The second phase of the rebirth of the
stadium is already underway in the shape of a £93m residential project on four acres of land on the Pershore Road side, providing 375 apartments to rent, parking, cycle storage and substantial commercial space for retail and leisure occupiers. Stuart took over the reins at Warwickshire
during the first lockdown in May last year after a varied business career largely in the West Midlands, including spells at Wasps, the NEC Group, Wolves, Glasgow Rangers, and Molson Coors in Burton on Trent.
‘We know that we have done everything we can to make Edgbaston a safe environment’
“It has been weird. You can’t get to know
people as much as you would like and I have not been able to see the venue operating in anger. “But we are hoping that with the vaccinations
coming in, we should be able to get the crowds in. With average crowds of 2,000 for the County Championship, we think we can safely accommodate that. “We know that we have done everything we
can to make Edgbaston a safe environment. We have some really safe protocols.
“We want our business to be the best cricket
club in the world. We have to be winning cricket trophies. A winning mentality has to be fostered across all men’s and women’s teams playing under the Bears banner. We have to make sure we have cricket at the forefront.” Off the field, the Bears are equally ambitious,
with the third phase of a masterplan which began with the £32m redevelopment of the old Pavilion End in 2011 already in the club’s sights. “As soon as the Ashes are finished in 2023, we
want to start looking at the Raglan, the Wyatt and the Priory Stands. If you look at the Lancashire and Hampshire models, they have integrated hotels, and we are looking at the feasibility of that. We want to get all the funding in place after the Ashes in 2023.” In common with all elite sports, the Bears were hit by the effects of Covid-19 last season with turnover down from £26.5m in 2018-19 to £11.6m, and pre-tax profits falling from £3.22m to losses of £974,314 for the 12 months to 30 September, 2020. Some staff, mainly in the
catering and events areas, were furloughed but the
Optimistic view from the boundary: Stuart Cain says: “We have done everything we can to make Edgbaston a safe environment.”
20 CHAMBERLINK March 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
