Gloucestershire Cricket look for pastures new

Article posted by Coliseum, December 8^th, 2023

Image: Gloucestershire CCC

The Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (UK) has confirmed that they are exploring opportunities for a new stadium development in South Gloucestershire (UK).

‘GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB’ stated that through a process running over a significant period of time the club has determined that to ensure the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Gloucestershire Cricket, they must look at the possibility of relocating the club and are now looking to enter into more active negotiations around a potential move to an appropriate new site.

The Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales (UK). It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire.

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The 15,000-capacity Bristol County Ground (also known as Nevil Road and currently known as the Seat Unique Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a cricket venue in Bristol, England (UK). It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

‘GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB’ further stated that whilst the current ground is still able to deliver the very highest level of cricket and customer experience at Nevil Road, but the club also has to prepare for the future. As the club continues to grow, the strain on infrastructure and facilities at Nevil Road will become increasingly challenging, as will access to and from the ground. The opportunity to relocate is a highly exciting prospect for the club to explore, one that would allow us to enter the next stage of our history and thrive in the future as we continue to adjust with the modernization of cricket, how it is delivered and the diversification of the overall business.

The delivery of sport both globally and nationally is evolving far beyond the point at which the footprint at Nevil Road will allow us to adapt to and keep pace with. The option to relocate to a larger site would allow us to build a stadium capable of delivering better first-class international and overall cricket experience, alongside a much greater range of diverse and sustainable revenue streams – all designed to give the club the financial sustainability they need to thrive as a first-class county.

Following a period of consultation with the South Gloucestershire Council spanning several months, the club has identified potential sites that might allow for the required growth of Gloucestershire Cricket, the preferred site being situated in South Gloucestershire, close by to the M4 near Bristol. The intention is to develop a stadium that is not only much more accessible to larger parts of the county of Gloucestershire, but is also purpose-built to host the highest level of world cricket events including the International Cricket Council (ICC) fixtures, and would mean Gloucestershire has an even more attractive venue for hosting white-ball franchise tournaments.

Dubai (UAE)-based the International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965 and adopted its current name in 1987.

Unlocking these opportunities for growth as outlined above would ultimately allow the club to invest more into its cricket teams, its community and on key strategic initiatives, ensuring they continue to deliver memorable experiences for generations to come.

A prospective new stadia would have club-leading standards of environmental sustainability and a greatly improved seated capacity, providing greater matchday experiences at cricket matches and, in turn, would provide much better facilities for members, supporters and visitors, with dedicated areas for their use, less reliance on temporary infrastructure and high quality sustainable transport options. The club believes the Gloucestershire supporters deserve the next level of major match arena to watch their team play, as they continue to strive for excellence on the pitch and look to secure an exciting future for Gloucestershire as a relevant contributor to the future of the game in England and Wales.

Observed David Jones Gloucestershire Cricket Chair, “This is a significant turning point for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we look to secure the club’s long-term future in an ever-changing sporting world. As well as delivering for our members the modern and low- carbon facilities they deserve in order to showcase an ever-wider range of world-class events here in the South West, we are keen to continue our active role in the community to widen participation and inspire the next generation of sports women and men. We look forward to engaging with our members, neighboring residents, stakeholders and the public as we continue a journey that W.G. Grace (English cricketer) started many years ago.”

Remarked Richard Gould, Chief Executive at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), “It’s always exciting to see County Clubs come up with ambitious plans for growth. We are clear on the importance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the game and recognize that continued investment at all levels is vital for the ongoing growth of cricket across the region. It’s fantastic to see Gloucestershire displaying the ambition to provide cricket fans in the West Country with a state-of-the-art sports and leisure arena.”

London (UK)-based the England and Wales Cricket Board is the national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on January 1^st, 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council.

Gloucestershire Cricket updated its Members on developments yesterday (December 5) in a series of briefings and will continue to update and consult with the relevant third parties, such as the Members and the local residents, as and when appropriate in the coming months with regards to the proposed relocation of the club.

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