2025 Annual-report

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2025 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 12 we’re all the stronger for it. Further- more, we have a once in a generation opportunity to preserve our standing at the heart of the game through thoughtful investment in projects that will protect tradition while also driving growth. These are unprecedented times for Professional County Clubs with cash waiting for qualified capital projects, rising expectations from players and members alike, and new opportunities to grow eight teams that are barely five years old but have commanded a combined enterprise value just short of a billion pounds. So how will Nottinghamshire,The Blaze, England andTrent Rockets all call Trent Bridge home? Firstly, we will continue to play all home County Championship matches at HQ. Early-season result pitches and seasonal blocks that prioritise the trophy that we hold dear ensure that this competition maintains our unqualified backing. The Blaze will share a bill with Notts Outlaws in the Vitality Blast, playing more double-headers than ever as we seek to grow the audience for the women’s game and restore the audience for domestic T20 cricket, which is taking some time to re-establish itself outside of the height of summer. Trent Rockets will benefit from summer holiday scheduling and a new ownership structure, with our club now holding a majority share. England and their international opponents remain the single most important draw when we consider the income budgets required to sustain ourselves, but we now have an opportunity to diversify our business in support of a new era for our club. This season, we welcomed Zimbabwe, who played their part in an entertaining Test attended by passionate home supporters and the most heartwarming away following imaginable, who sang and chanted their way through three days of action while barely pausing for breath. Brian Bennett’s memorable century was greeted as warmly as those chalked up by Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, and we were delighted to win the ECB award for Best International Spectator Experience, even defeat- ing those that hosted England’s enthralling series against India. Three days of play and lower ticket prices than those traditionally charged for games against established Test-playing nations contributed to our negative financial out-turn in 2025.With certainty of supply of major matches stretching to 2031, we had budgeted for this outcome in the knowledge that our current cycle of major matches will enable us to record an aggregate surplus while continuing to invest in our teams and our venue.We will return to profit in 2026, and forecast a sharp increase in turnover and surplus when we host our Ashes Test in 2027. Furthermore, the distribution of The Hundred proceeds has prompted a reconsideration of the reserves policies of county clubs, with an expectation of prudence and resilience twinned with thoughtful investment in bricks and mortar. Beyond the Pavilion, further change is afoot, with minor works ongoing in the ticket office building to create additional office space and a refurbished bar themed to celebrate our seven County Championship titles.We are working towards the formalisation of a 25-year lease agreement atWest Park, which will enhance our provision of those cricket facilities that have come under increasing pressure at Trent Bridge and Lady Bay. All of these projects commenced during the tenure of our previous “ENGLAND AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL OPPONENTS REMAIN THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT DRAWWHENWE CONSIDER THE INCOME BUDGETS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN OURSELVES, BUTWE NOWHAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIVERSIFY OUR BUSINESS IN SUPPORT OF A NEW ERA FOR OUR CLUB.” Michael Temple