Durham Cricket Club has seen an off-pitch recovery despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic.
Accounts for the Durham Cricket Community Interest Company - which was formed after the club’s financial problems in 2016 - have been published for the year ending September 30, 2020.
They show that the club saw an increase in operating profit despite seeing its revenue being hit as last season was curtailed in the early pandemic.
Turnover fell from £6.6m in 2019 to £4.6m last year, but operating profit increased from £194,000 to £320,000. The club’s debts also fell and its net assets grew, though the club’s reliance on funding from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) increased.
The accounts also reveal the impact of the pandemic on the club both on and off the pitch, saying: “The global pandemic has affected business operations since March 2020.
“Whilst a closing of the Emirates Riverside was necessary in according with government guidelines, the management team have worked diligently with all the club’s stakeholders to ensure a platform from which the club can build in the future.
“By offering continued financial support to cricket in the UK, the ECB has allowed the company to put plans in place to cut back all non-essential spend whilst maintaining a level of revenue to meet its fixed obligations.
“To assist with the contingency planning, the club took advantage of Government assistance in the form of a Coronavirus business interruption loan, claims under the Coronavirus job retention scheme of £415,764 and a business rates holiday of £67,981. These helped to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 in the 2020 cricket season and its effect on ancillary revenue streams.”
After a modest season on the pitch in 2020, Durham’s performances have improved somewhat this season. The club also staged a one-day international between England and Sri Lanka which allowed crowds back into the club’s Chester-le-Street ground.
The accounts reveal that club members had donated more than £130,000 to help it through the pandmic through its Durham Defender scheme. Referring to that support, chairman Sir Ian Botham said: “We remain grateful to the huge support the members and local community continue to provide to the club.”
