Members' Forum Recap - September 2023
Following on from the Members’ Forum that took place in The Edge on Friday (22 September) afternoon, which was very well attended, we wanted to provide Members who were not able to attend with an update on some of the key topics covered.
Lee Morgan, Club Secretary, chaired the Forum and introduced Mark Chilton (Director of Cricket Performance) who provided an update on a number of different cricket-related topics for those in the room.
Chilton reflected on a ‘frustrating’ season for the men’s side, which has seen several matches, particularly in the LV= Insurance County Championship, disrupted by the weather – just like last week’s game. Also discussed was the on-going ODI series between England and Ireland in which Phil Salt, Luke Wood and for the first time Tom Hartley have all been selected for. Whilst Chilton was thrilled for the players involved – he said the amount of matches England play throughout the summer across all formats provides a ‘real challenge’ for counties and having players pulled out of the Club’s County Championship fixtures is ‘not ideal and compromises the competition’.
Regarding the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Chilton said he was generally pleased with how the side performed in that competition – but was ‘disappointed’ with the performance in the Quarter Final defeat to Gloucestershire. It allowed a number of our younger players to be exposed to high-pressure cricket and the likes of Matthew Hurst and Tom Aspinwall particularly impressed. Regarding the Vitality Blast - after a difficult start - the side found some form and once again qualified for the knockout stages. Despite ‘playing a decent game’, Lancashire were beaten by a strong Surrey side in the Quarter Final.
The pitches at Emirates Old Trafford were also spoken about. It is something that the coaching staff and Head Groundsman, Matt Merchant, have discussed throughout the summer but finding a solution is not going to be easy. Chilton did confirm that one of the pitches will be relayed at the end of the season (you can only do one a year) and that one of the reasons why the Club has produced so many good players in recent years, is because we play on good surfaces. This is a view that is strongly endorsed by England Men’s Managing Director, Rob Key. It is also linked to the schedule - because of the huge amount of cricket played throughout the season – the ground staff don’t have enough time to prepare the pitches as we would ideally like.
Chilton paid tribute to Dane Vilas who made his final appearance for the Club recently, signing off in style as he hit a brilliant century against Middlesex. Chilton confirmed that Vilas ‘had nothing left to give physically or mentally’ and that was why he retired after the Middlesex game. Chilton and the coaching staff respected his wishes and everyone at Lancashire wishes him the very best with what is next to come.
Chilton also updated Members that he – along with all other county Directors of Cricket and the England Men’s performance team – would be formally meeting on 3 October. This will be a meeting to discuss a wide range of topics including player development, the points system, player contracts, pitches, officiating, scheduling, and more.
He added that securing overseas players will be a particular challenge given the T20 World Cup will overlap with the Vitality Blast. In terms of recruitment, Chilton confirmed Lancashire would be looking to sign an overseas batter. Chilton then updated news of a domestic signing for the 2024 season, in former Worcestershire seamer Mitchell Stanley who will be joining the Club on a one-year contract.
Chilton - on behalf of David Thorley (Regional Director of Women's Cricket) then gave an update on the Thunder team's progress this season. The squad's performances were 'disappointing' in the 50 over competition, but it was nice to finish with a win at Emirates Old Trafford where Ellie Threlkeld hit an unbeaten century against Western Storm.
However, performances in the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup were much improved, which saw Thunder qualify for their first Finals Day, hosted at New Road in Bristol. We have a seen a number of players continue their development this year - with a particular mention to fast bowler Mahika Gaur, who made her England debut recently and Oliva Bell who impressed throughout the campaign.
After the cricket update from Chilton, Christian Mullarkey – Head of Marketing – updated the room on memberships. Mullarkey started with an overview of where membership numbers had been in the years before last – which had seen stagnated growth and an ageing demographic. The Club embarked on a five-month research project – led by data agency Two Circles – where we spoke to current Members, lapsed Members, and prospects. In total, we received feedback from 2,500 individuals and this formed a major part of the revamped membership structure for last year.
The membership numbers for 2023 have been the highest for many years. It saw 52% new Members – and well over 8,000 paid Members in total. The Club’s aims and ambitions for growing the membership to a target of 10,000 were also discussed.
Mullarkey also updated on the further research that will be carried out over this winter – speaking to the wider membership on their experiences this year – what they’ve liked, what they haven’t and what they’d like to see in the future. The Club will review its findings after this has taken place – which will be in the form of digital surveys, focus groups as well as the Members’ Forum. This feedback will be reviewed for the development of the 2025 memberships.
Following on from the update on memberships, a number of smaller groups were split up where an official from the Club or representative from the Members’ Representative Group (MRG) joined Members. Topics discussed in the groups included a number of different subject matters, such as issues with the ticketing app, Membership feedback (including access with cards, voting rights, junior membership and the Club to highlight benefits better, amongst others), upcoming Members events, the domestic schedule, the latest on the HPR, outgrounds, Members’ guest tickets, LancsTV, and future of the Hundred.
The Club continues discussions around the potential appointment of a further Member-elected Board representative. As always, consideration will be made to any skills gap that currently exists on the Board – as well as the make-up of the Board from an EDI perspective. We will continue to keep Members updated on this.
The next Members’ event will be a coffee morning that will take place at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 24 November, which will include an update from the MRG. Further information will be sent out to Members in due course.