Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2012

13 Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society Conveying this through words and images was a big challenge and we assembled a small bid team to share the workload of writing text, gathering statistics and images and liaising with our design agency. The content gathering was exhaustive. We dedicated a significant amount of time to the production of our document but the bid had to present a triumph of substance over style and the quality of the content was down to the hard work that had preceded it. To demonstrate our experience in delivering major matches, we included a breakdown of the game- by-game feedback we had received from the ECB. We examined in depth how our loyal base of international ticket buyers has helped us to maintain healthy crowds regardless of England’s opposition, the time of year and the format of the game. We provided detailed examples of our efforts to ensure that the rights of commercial partners were delivered and explained how our desire to position Trent Bridge as England’s friendliest venue informed every interaction we have with those who visit us for work or pleasure. In addition to explaining these core elements of our delivery we were invited to demonstrate political co-ordination and support. Our work to bid for and subsequently host ICC World Twenty20 matches in 2009 had fostered firm links with our local authorities and tied a series of community milestones to a funding package that had allowed us to pursue an ambitious redevelopment ahead of the tournament. In return for funding for the 2008 ground redevelopment we made a series of promises to our three local authorities, committing ourselves to tackling deprivation in challenging areas in exchange for loans on favourable terms. These loans contributed to the building of a new stand and the installation of permanent floodlights and a giant replay screen. Since that commitment was made, we have redoubled our efforts in the community and delivered tangible results, most notably in Cotgrave where our Positive Futures scheme helped us to secure the ECB Award for Best Community Programme for the second successive year. We also received plaudits for the unique make-up of our public/private sector partnerships which had secured prestigious partnership awards from the Local Government Chronicle and the Municipal Journal in 2008. Importantly, we delivered on the promises we had made which served to strengthen our collective resolve to attract more major matches to our conurbation and to use them as a source of civic and community pride. Against that backdrop, the support we received for our Ashes bid was fantastic. We received letters and video testimonies from nine of Nottinghamshire’s eleven Members of Parliament, private sector businesses endorsed independent calculations of the economic impact of Ashes Tests and local authorities spoke in glowing terms of the media values garnered by the global broadcasting of cricket matches at Trent Bridge. What had begun as Trent Bridge versus Edgbaston, Old Trafford, The Rose Bowl and The Swalec Stadium had become Nottingham versus, Birmingham, Manchester, Southampton and Cardiff. Our city, county and region had united behind us and ultimately, the strength of these partnerships, fostered through a collective recognition of the benefits we all derive from hosting major matches had provided a story compelling enough to convince the ECB that we were worthy of the award of Gold Package A. In our final presentation to the Major Match Group at Lord’s, I was joined by our Chairman Peter Wright, Deputy Chief Executive Lisa Pursehouse, Community Sports Trust Manager Tracey Francis and Head of Marketing & Communications Michael Temple. Even in meeting the members of the MMG, it was impossible to garner a sense of where we stood in the process. Waiting in my office for the call to come through on 22nd September was a strangely surreal moment. So much time and effort hung on one short telephone call. We all felt real pride in the outcome but we also recognised that the hard work was about to start. A team and partnership approach had won the day. We allowed ourselves a couple of days of quiet reflection then it was on with the job to make it all happen. Many challenges lie ahead in this, the toughest of economic climates but we all have the most fantastic opportunity. Derek Brewer – Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Chief Executive