Chairman Ian Morgan OBE says it’s an exciting time for the Club and that it’s now up to the players to go out and perform on the field this summer.
Morgan, who was confirmed as Chairman at the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 29 March, was speaking to BBC Radio Derby’s Ian Skye this morning.
He said: “I take over as Chairman at a very exciting time. The previous Supervisory Board under Chris Grant did an absolutely superb job in getting the Club in a good place financially and with the investment that has gone into the ground.
“On the field, however, it hasn’t been as good as we like, but what better motivation for the players than what happened last season.
“I’m not going to set any targets. The last thing our players need is for me, a new Chairman, to come in and set them targets.
“The players do not need me to put pressure on them, they can put pressure on themselves. We need to give the players the freedom and the space to develop their own games and go out and express themselves, and with our Captain, Billy Godleman, we have got the right man to lead that.
“New season starts on Friday at home against Northamptonshire, over the Bank Holiday weekend, and I hope local people who want something to do can come down and support the team.”
Commenting on the proposed new Twenty20 competition, set to be introduced in 2020, Morgan added: “The Supervisory Board has unanimously supported the change to the ECB Articles of Association to pave the way for a new Twenty20 tournament.
“The number of people who follow, watch and play the game is not where we would like it. We know that the recreational game is under pressure from the ever growing list of new sports and activities it has to compete with, so we have to attract new people to the game at all levels
“The majority of people who watch cricket today are of the older generation, and we must get a younger audience through our doors. As we’ve seen with the Big Bash League in Australia and the Indian Premier League, a tournament of that nature can attract more families with young children to watch and go on to play cricket.
“The new city based T20 competition is all part of the ECB’s ‘Cricket Unleashed’ strategy. Cricket needs to attract boys and girls to the game through the All Stars Cricket programme, and a new Twenty20 competition will offer a box office experience that will gain greater exposure on mobile devices, tablets, as well as television.”
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