‘Transformational’ year for Warwickshire CCC as revenue soars

Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) has posted a sharp rise in revenue and profits, in what was a “transformational” year, as reported by The Business Desk.

Turnover at £17.6m was 52% higher compared to 2020, where all matches were played behind closed doors, whilst operating profit increased by 330% to £1.2m.

As Edgbaston successfully bid for a men’s Test match between England and New Zealand, attracting 60,000 fans over four days, it was also named as the first stage 2 event of the UK Government’s Events Research Programme. This contributed to a 54% increase in earnings before an EBITDA of £2.8m.

Craig Flindall, Chief Operating Officer at Warwickshire CCC, said:

This latest financial year was transformed by our successful bid for England men’s Test match versus New Zealand and then both the Test Match and One Day International being part of the Government’s research programme investigating the safe return of fans to major events.

Major Match revenues represent the primary driver of income for the Club and 2021 was initially budgeted as a modest year in which no Test match was scheduled, as part of the 31-day allocation of fixtures that the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) awarded to Edgbaston in 2018 for the 2020 to 2024 programme.

The Hundred also proved to incredibly popular in its first season, with two of the four games selling out and Birmingham Phoenix men’s and women’s teams finishing second and third in their respective competitions.

Looking forward, we have already sold out five of our seven men’s Major Matchdays in 2022. Hosting the eight-day women’s T20i tournament in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is also a unique opportunity that will keep Edgbaston at the centre of the sporting world.

In addition to the Test match, Edgbaston also secured England’s men’s Royal London One-Day International versus Pakistan which was also granted Phase 3 status and welcomed a crowd of 18,000.

PTI Digital – a longstanding sponsor of Sports Venue Business and regular participant at ALSD International – are the technology partner to Edgbaston Stadium.

As part of its proposal to the Government, Edgbaston invested in new technology to secure safe stadium entry and to enhance the spectator experience. Its new smartphone app received 314,344 views across the four days of the Test match for tickets, retail purchases, spectator information and food and beverage orders.

Warwickshire CCC Chief Executive, Stuart Cain, said:

We believe that our 2021 experience has created a blueprint for how many sporting events will operate in the future.

The introduction of our app in 2021 allowed spectators to enter through tickets on their phone and order food and drink, with a delivery to seat option for disabled spectators. Further investment in the app will continue in the coming years as we strive to create one of the best spectator experiences in the world.

The club is also celebrating its major projects in the community as Edgbaston’s Exhibition Hall operated as a vaccination centre for more than 180 days, whilst the club also hosted one of the first mass religious gatherings since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 500 worshippers attending prayers to mark Eid ul Adha.

New initiatives were also launched, such as the Midnight Ramadan Cricket League and the regional rollout of the African Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE) in Birmingham.

The Edgbaston Foundation also partnered with charities to collect 15,000 toys which were delivered to the city’s most vulnerable children by charities and community groups.

In conjunction with development partners, PATRIZIA, work also commenced in 2020 on the construction of 375 residential apartments, retail units and a new piazza, which will be completed in advance of the 2022 season.

Later this year, plans will be announced regarding the redevelopment of Edgbaston.

Source: TheBusinessDesk.com

Imagery, courtesy: Edgbaston / Warwickshire CCC

Main image (top): 1st Investec Test between England and West Indies at Edgbaston on August 17, 2017 in Birmingham, England

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