Business of Sport
Who will be the winners and losers in English cricket’s big reset? Episode 4 of Sport, Structured podcast series goes live
The fourth episode of the Sport, Structured podcast, launching today (Monday 10th August), examines the opportunities and challenges facing English domestic cricket.
The podcast, entitled ‘Who will be the winners and losers in English cricket’s big reset?’, is hosted by James Cooper with three Leonard Curtis directors joining the discussion.
They are Iain Nairn MBE, former captain of the England Physical Disability cricket team, David Brown, who played county cricket for Gloucestershire and Glamorgan, and Alex Cadwallader, a former rugby union player and the Leonard Curtis Business of Sport lead.
With county cricket at a crossroads amid the growing prominence of global franchise competitions, and a £520m windfall from sales of equity in The Hundred’s eight teams, this episode draws on some of the key findings from the annual Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report.
The discussion also assesses how disability cricket, women’s cricket and university cricket are set to evolve in the coming years.
Host James Cooper commented: “It was a highly engaging and informed discussion from people steeped in cricket at an elite level who have switched over to professional advisory around corporate restructure – it’s a powerful combination of experience.”
Answering a question about whether this is now a golden age for players COO David, a former batting all-rounder, said The Hundred had created winners and losers, commenting: “It’s a golden age for some. But we are still facing the same challenges around schedule congestion, burnout and player freedom.”
Alex Cadwallader compared cricket’s approach to The Hundred windfall with rugby’s handling of its £200m CVC deal: “There are more guardrails in cricket which will help previously cash-strapped counties to manage the impact of The Hundred money,” he said. “But there are challenges for leadership teams around good stewardship of windfalls out of the blue.”
Loyalty, money, the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, demutualisation, and the future for county membership all featured in the lively discussion. Host James Cooper again: “It’s the £520m question – what does success look like?”
Iain Nairn was positive about widening access to disability cricket. He said: “It certainly needs to be higher profile and in the mix in refreshed sustainable business modelling post-The Hundred windfall.
He added: “It’s also great to see that an England Men’s Mixed Disability team will be taking part in the Ashes series next year.”
Grassroots cricket and the university pathway, as well as women's cricket – focusing on investment, impact and comparisons with rugby – were also explored, with closing thoughts on what cricket will look like in 10 years and what is in it for investors in the short and long-term.
The podcast publishes today (10th August) and will be available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
The Sport, Structured series is produced in collaboration with a talented team of broadcast and media students at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) in Salford, directed, filmed and edited at its new world-class studio facility.
Fans interested in what goes on off the pitch in this intriguing and informative podcast series can tune into the first four episodes including the latest one here.
Feedback Form
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ultricies consequat.
News and insights
Get in touch
with Leonard Curtis
Forward
with purpose
Leonard Curtis is a trading style of Reach Commercial Finance Limited, registered at Riverside House, Irwell Street, Manchester, M3 5EN. Company Register number is 09056450. Reach Commercial Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN: 753686. Reach Commercial Finance Limited is an authorised credit broker and not a lender. We work with an unrestricted number of lenders to find a potentially suitable arrangement for your consideration. ICO registration ZA069234 and you can check via www.ico.org.uk. We will receive commission from lenders. Different lenders pay different amounts depending on different commission models. For transparency we work with the following commission models: fixed fee, fixed rate of commission, percentage of the amount you borrow and rate for risk (this is based on the risk profile of the business). Further details of the commission model, calculation and amount will be disclosed to you throughout your customer journey. Privacy notice.
Leonard Curtis Legal Limited is a limited company, registered in England and Wales with registered number 09820186. Registered office: Riverside House, Irwell Street, Manchester M3 5EN. Leonard Curtis Legal Limited is registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority with number 626004.