Photo Credit: The Guardian
A new county cricket club chairman emphasized the need for counties to have a “voice” in cricket governance, including in the sale of The Hundred. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has begun selling stakes in the eight franchises.
Gary Hoffman, who recently became chairman at Northamptonshire and has a background in football, stated, “We have an ownership interest in the Hundred, so we’re acutely interested in what is happening in the sale process.”
The ECB is selling a 49% stake in each franchise, with part of it belonging to the counties, while the other 51% is allocated to the host teams, who can choose to keep or sell their stake.
Hoffman said, “We have a voice, but we’re not always listened to and I want to try and change that somewhat,” and stressed the need for Northamptonshire to have “the right voice at the national level.”
He also raised concerns about the impact of The Hundred on the domestic cricket calendar, saying, “It’s really strange that at the height of the summer we’re not playing cricket at [home ground] Wantage Road.”
On Northamptonshire’s financial situation, Hoffman said, “We have a different model compared to big counties like Surrey, Warwickshire or Lancashire. We’ve got a model that is stable and we’ve got no debt. We’ve got finances that give us a platform to build on and means we are in a good place compared to quite a lot of smaller counties.”
Northamptonshire reached the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast this year, and Hoffman hopes for continued success.
After parting ways with head coach John Sadler earlier this year, Hoffman did not comment on potential replacements but said, “We will run a robust process” and noted that “Northamptonshire is attractive” to potential coaches.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
