Sussex Cricket reports operating loss of £1.33m

Sussex Cricket Club (SCC) has reported an operating loss of £1.33 million in its 2024-2025 accounts, published to its members on Tuesday.

Having been sanctioned by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the club's chairman John Filby has already stepped down, while former player Matt Prior is among those calling for change at the top.

Earlier this month, SCC were given a 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship following "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.

SCC's acting chief executive Mark West called the figures "very disappointing" and "not where we want to be."

The club was also docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

In addition, a player salary cap is to be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide ECB with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.

West, who took on his interim role at the end of last season, said the losses carried a "massive impact" which had been felt by everyone at the club.

However, he admitted it was "good for members to see in more detail exactly what has been talked about in the headlines over last few weeks".

Asked if there had been an overly optimistic approach to the initial budgets set by the club, West said that "the ideas put forward last year - along with growth strategy pursued - were good, but didn't land".

"They weren't anchored to a realistic cost base, which we were then stuck with despite the income subsequently failing to materialise," he added.

West said that "with hindsight, we should have taken a more progressive approach", and SCC now needed to "concentrate on growth" and "expanding what we do".

"We've got to look beyond just cricket in the summer and events that rely on the weather," he added, namely "assets within the grounds, real estate that we can monetise".

Describing this year's budget as "looking great," West says SCC must now "cut our cloth according to what we can afford in the future."

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