Gloucestershire Cricket has confirmed it is exploring opportunities to sell its home ground in Bristol and use the proceeds to develop a new stadium on the city’s north-eastern outskirts.
Following media speculation earlier this week, the club released a statement saying it was looking at the possibility of relocating and was “now looking to enter into more active negotiations around a potential move to an appropriate new site”.
This process, which the club said would run “over a significant period of time”, would ensure its competitiveness and long-term sustainability.
The County Ground, off Nevil Road in Ashley Down, has been the club’s base since it was bought by WG Grace in 1889 as a home for Gloucestershire.
It is understood to be worth around £40m if sold for residential development.
The ground, known as the Seat Unique Stadium since March last year under a sponsorship deal with the premium ticketing marketplace, has attracted a growing number of international cricket fixtures over recent years, including one-day and T20 matches. Capacity for these is increased by bringing in temporary stands.
Ten years ago the club invested £5m to update the ground’s facilities, including new conference and banqueting facilities and a new media centre. At the same time 147 homes were also be built on land on the site.
However, its compact size means it is unable to host full international test games, with little prospect of expansion due to the site being hemmed in by houses.
As a result, the club sees a purpose-built stadium as the only way to secure lucrative international test matches. According to reports, a new, larger ground could also take advantage of the cricketing authorities’ plans to expand The Hundred limited-over tournament with more franchises, especially as currently there is no Hundred team based in the West of England.
Media reports claimed the club was considering a number of locations in South Gloucestershire for a new stadium, including Emersons Green, Hambrook, Bromley Heath and Winterbourne.
In its statement, Gloucestershire Cricket said: “Whilst the current ground is still able to deliver the very highest level of cricket and customer experience at Nevil Road, we have to also prepare for the future.
“As we continue to grow, the strain on infrastructure and facilities at Nevil Road will become increasingly challenging, as will access to and from the ground.
“The opportunity to relocate is a highly exciting prospect for the club to explore, one that would allow us to enter the next stage of our history and thrive in the future as we continue to adjust with the modernisation of cricket, how it is delivered and the diversification of the overall business.”
It said the delivery of sport both globally and nationally was evolving far beyond the point at which the footprint at Nevil Road allowed the club to adapt to and keep pace with.
“The option to relocate to a larger site would allow us to build a stadium capable of delivering better first-class international and overall cricket experience, alongside a much greater range of diverse and sustainable revenue streams – all designed to give us the financial sustainability we need to thrive as a first-class county,” the club said.
“Following a period of consultation with South Gloucestershire Council spanning several months, we have identified potential sites that might allow for the required growth of Gloucestershire Cricket, the preferred site being situated in South Gloucestershire, close by to the M4 near Bristol.
“Our intention is to develop a stadium that is not only much more accessible to larger parts of the county of Gloucestershire, but is also purpose built to host the highest level of world cricket events including ICC [International Cricket Council] fixtures, and would mean Gloucestershire has an even more attractive venue for hosting white-ball franchise tournaments.”
It said unlocking these opportunities for growth would ultimately allow it to invest more into its cricket teams, its community and key strategic initiatives, ensuring it continued “to deliver memorable experiences for generations to come”.
It also said the prospective a new stadium would have club-leading standards of environmental sustainability, and a greatly improved seated capacity, providing greater matchday experiences at cricket matches.
This, in turn, would provide much better facilities for members, supporters and visitors, with dedicated areas for their use, less reliance on temporary infrastructure and high-quality sustainable transport options.
“We believe Gloucestershire supporters deserve the next level of major match arena to watch their team play, as we continue to strive for excellence on the pitch and look to secure an exciting future for Gloucestershire as a relevant contributor to the future of the game in England and Wales,” the club statement added.
Gloucestershire Cricket chair David Jones described the plan as “a significant turning point for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we look to secure the club’s long-term future in an ever-changing sporting world”.
He added: “As well as delivering for our members the modern and low-carbon facilities they deserve in order to showcase an ever-wider range of world class events here in the South West, we are keen to continue our active role in the community to widen participation and inspire the next generation of sports women and men.
“We look forward to engaging with our members, neighbouring residents, stakeholders and the public as we continue a journey that WG Grace started many years ago.”
While the traditional long form of the game has for many years struggled to bring in big attendances – except for high-profile international test series such as The Ashes – newer quick-fire, limited-over initiatives such as T20 and The Hundred have attracted large crowds.
At the same time, traditional test venues such as Lord’s and The Oval in London and Old Trafford in Manchester have continued to attract new funding, with investment going into their hospitality and catering offerings.
England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould said it was always exciting to see county clubs come up with ambitious plans for growth.
“We are clear on the importance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the game and recognise that continued investment at all levels is vital for the ongoing growth of cricket across the region,” he added.
“It’s fantastic to see Gloucestershire displaying the ambition to provide cricket fans in the West Country with a state-of-the-art sports and leisure arena.”
Gloucestershire Cricket updated its members on the developments earlier this week and has said it will continue to keep them abreast of its plans through a series of updates. It also said it would consult with relevant third parties, such as local residents, “as and when appropriate in the coming months with regards to the proposed relocation of the club”.
