Glos declare 2008 loss

The shire today released financial details from last season, declaring a deficit of £47,000 for the period ending September 2008.

Honoury Treasurer, Roger Cooke, said increased squad costs were the cause of the deficit - which will come as a major shock to Gloucestershire supporters who witnessed their team's worst season for many years as they failed to win a single match in the county championship and finished bottom of the West/Midlands Twenty20 group.

The management fiasco last March, whereby former club stalwart Mark Alleyne was removed from his head coach post just a month from the start of the season, was also blamed for the club being £76,000 over budget on costs which were £326,000 up on the previous year.

The coaching shake-up, seen by many as a major factor behind such a disappointing season, added £84,000 of costs that were not budgeted for.

In the financial statement, the club also declared they were continuing to invest in the club's future - citing the pavilion upgrade and new drainage system (aided by a £600,000 ECB grant). However, the club still fails to declare any future financial commitment to the cricket team.

While it is understandable that alterations with the playing staff cannot be made until head-coach John Bracewell arrives, it remains to be seen that there is a significantly poor progression rate from the academy and in a time where financial belts need to be tightened, the club should be looking to it's academy to bolster the playing staff.

Financial support does not need to be made to short-term fixes. Mediocre oversees players, kolpaks or month loans do not even paper over the cracks. I liked Marcus North last year. He was a quality batsman who scored consistent runs. But he wasn't the long-term signing like a Justin Langer that the club can build around, and if one is to look at the bigger picture he was a waste of time. His place - and wages - would have been better allocated to youth.

The Gloucestershire board have got to commit to the advancement of the GCCC academy in order to bring players through and to provide continuity for the future of the shire. This can only be achieved with investment in facilities and coaching staff. A loss of £47,000 is not large, however, overspending of squad budgets will continue unless the club rears its own stock of young cricketers and ceases to rely on short-term fixes.

2009 Fixture List

The new fixture list for the 2009 cricket season was released today and produced a few talking points.

The County Championship retains it's usual format with the two divisions, however the Friends Provident trophy has abandoned it's regional system. The shire will therefore enjoy fixtures against Surrey, Yorkshire, Sussex and Durham in this year's group stages; unfortunately having two derby fixtures against Somerset dropped. However, I'm looking forward to trips to some grounds we haven't played at in recent years.

There is a change to the Twenty20 cup format for this season as well. In previous years we have seen a bonanza of the short format, packed into a few weeks in June. This has seen supporters being asked to turn out as much as three times in a week, and, particularly with tighter financial times, attendances have declines. The hope is that by spreading out the matches from late May to the end of June, interest will reignite.

I also believe it will help the cricket, because the close proximity of the matches means teams often feel the full force of momentum - both positive and negative. The shire last year got stuck in a rut of losing games, and it was no suprise they reeled off five consecutive winless matches. Leicestershire also sufferred, and the double-winners finished with only two wins from nine completed matches. The break will offer teams a chance to regroup in a different cricketing environment; although the impact on championship cricket in that period could be interesting - I recall Ross Taylor at Lord's last summer flashing at one of his early deliveries and spooning a catch: that test match came after nine weeks of IPL.

The other change for the shire is the Cheltenham festival - which I am personally disappointed with. It opens on a Sunday with a championship match, followed by pro40 matches on the Friday and Sunday, then the second championship match from the Monday-Thursday of the second week and the final match - a pro40 - on the Friday.

Therefore two of the three pro40 matches - which attract the biggest crowds - are on weekdays, therefore denying many people who will be at work or school the opportunity to attend. In addition, there is no cricket on the middle Saturday - always a popular day for spectators, and the championship matches are placed on days that are unattractive to corporate customers - Friday for instance has been abandoned, where businesses like to enjoy a whole day of entertainment, and the club can offer a wider range of catering options.

There is also a lack of Sunday cricket in the latter part of the season, which is a great shame for many spectators who enjoy a Sunday afternoon at the cricket - a traditional cricket-watching environment, and the club will suffer through reduced attendances and more reliance will be placed on television money - of which made up 50% of the shire's revenue last year.