Gloucestershire’s viability as a first-class county has been solid into renewed doubt after the membership reported a lack of £1.19 million of their annual accounts, printed on Monday, which is greater than twice the shortfall of £570,000 that they accrued in 2022-23.
In her report, Gloucestershire’s Treasurer Rebecca Watkin insisted that the membership’s outlook for 2024 and 2025 was extra constructive, however blamed the present state of affairs on the cost-of-living disaster that has raised the membership’s day-to-day working prices, allied to the washed-out ODI between England and Eire in September, which might ordinarily have been an important income, given the membership’s non-Take a look at and Hundred-hosting standing.
“This has been a difficult yr financially for plenty of causes and there’s no doubt it’s disappointing to be reporting a second consecutive monetary deficit,” Watkin wrote. “Gloucestershire has skilled a tumultuous couple of years each on and off the sphere however regardless of that, we stay dedicated to pushing for achievement on the sphere with inspiring, aggressive cricket, and can guarantee all that may be executed is finished to return improved monetary ends in the years to come back.”
That prospect might be one step nearer now, following an unbiased audit by chartered accountants, Saffery LLP, which revealed web liabilities of £5,019,000, leaving Gloucestershire in breach of its banking covenants and casting “vital doubt on the Membership’s skill to proceed as a going concern”.
Quite a lot of contributory elements have been cited within the accounts, together with a £67,000 improve in vitality payments throughout 4 months, and an additional £43,000 in interest-rate funds. The annual £4 million funding that the membership receives from the ECB is, Watkin added in her report, successfully value round £750,000 much less in actual phrases in comparison with 4 years in the past, whereas different ventures – together with a Ministry of Sound dance social gathering held on the floor in July – “didn’t ship the monetary returns predicted”.
In his personal report, David Jones, the membership chair, described the yr as a “rollercoaster”, with Gloucestershire’s rock-bottom end within the 2023 County Championship compounding their off-field struggles. Nevertheless, with the bidding course of now underway for the Ladies’s World Cup in 2026, he insisted the membership remained nicely positioned to make sure Bristol retained its standing as a number metropolis for such marquee occasions.
On the prospect of the bottom relocation, Jones reiterated the membership’s want to stay “open-minded” despite the burden of historical past on the Nevil Floor, including that the chance to relocate to a brand new, purpose-built and bigger website would permit Gloucestershire to “flourish for future generations”.
A proper replace on the relocation plans are anticipated in Could or June, following additional discussions on the membership’s AGM on April 29.
