Worcestershire held a Members Forum before the start of play on day two of the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Gloucestershire at New Road.,
Here Club Chair Fanos Hira shared a general Club update, and Head of Finance Sarah Gluyas provided details of the new and extended car park area by the nets and the new 10am entrance time for members and spectators.
Head Coach Alan Richardson, Assistant Head Coach Kadeer Ali, and Assistant Coach Richard Jones then joined the forum and interacted with members in the room.
The new car park area
Sarah Gluyas said: “Lots of positive comments around that yesterday, quite an improvement and the gravel that was there previously.
“There is a little bit left to finish; it’s still got the street lighting to be finished off over the course of the next few days.
“Then that area becomes part of the pay and display car park and nearly doubles the space that we’ve got there.
“Hence that is why it has got the secure fencing around it because it will be a public area and, as per last season, that is not an entrance, the turnstile entrances are reception and at New Road, as they were last season.
New 10am opening time
Sarah Gluyas said: “This is very much based on looking on the data from last season, looking at the number of spectators and the timing of when they come in, looking at the takings for food and drink in that time pre-10am and considering what other counties do.
“We have some tough decisions to make, the economic climate is challenging with a significant loss last year, and we need to critically review everything that we do to keep it financially sustainable here.
“It is something when we looked at the data where it really was quite overwhelming that the period between 9am and 10am just wasn’t economical for the full ground to be open at that time.
“From 10am onwards, from 10.20am to 10.40am, that is when we have for a County Championship match, the vast majority of spectators coming in at that period.”
Question from member about access during game to car in car park from the gate on the Cathedral side of the ground rather thank walking back to reception?
Sarah Gluyas said: “We do have regulations that we need to comply with where spectators can enter the ground and can leave the ground.
“But I do take the point where you just need to pop back to your car (to get your gloves) about there needing to be a reasonable amount of discretion.
“That can be difficult for the stewards. It’s not an easy balance for them to be able to do.
“Their instructions are first and foremost around safety and rules we need to comply with, but I do take your point about a little more discretion for the circumstances you were in with your gloves.
“The Chief Safety Officer has his briefing with the stewards each morning, and we will discuss that with him around appropriate boundaries for the stewards.”
