We spoke to experienced Pharmaceutical Sales Manager and Administration Director on the Supervisory Board, Jason Fage, about his role with Derbyshire and what attracted him to cricket.
Jason is currently UK Pharmacy Sales Manager for Murrays Health and Beauty. Prior to this Jason had served pharmaceutical company Ceuta Healthcare for over 22 years in various managerial roles.
He has direct responsibility for managing team budgets, ensuring the achievement of all sales targets whilst working closely and reporting to the UK Sales Director. Jason attends regular meetings at senior management level with other departments as part of his daily role.
Why cricket?
I have my mother to thank for this. Born and bred in the Peak District, I was initially taken to Buxton and Chesterfield to watch Derbyshire in the school holidays and then to Test matches and ODIs at Old Trafford.
Latterly, we used to have fantastic family Sunday afternoons watching the 40-over John Player League from the boundary at Derby so from then on, I was hooked.
Those who know me well enough will vouch that I am sport mad, yet never good enough to play to any worthwhile level. Although, I did try and was coached for a while by past Derbyshire player David Milner at Dove Holes, but work got in the way so this is very much the next best thing.
What attracted you to this role?
As I became a more regular watcher of Derbyshire, I became an Executive Member in 1993. Then in 2014 I was asked by the Chairman and the then Supervisory Board to consider standing for the vacant position of Administration Director.
Having been a Member for many years and a follower of Derbyshire for over 40 years, it was too much of a honour not to consider and I was delighted to be voted onto the Board by members in March 2014. Juggling work and cricket can be challenging but I am fortunate that I work from home quite a bit so can allow the time for both to fit in to a busy schedule.
Were you pleased with the 2017 season and performances on the field?
It certainly was an improved campaign and credit must go to Kim Barnett, John Wright, Billy Godleman and the new coaching setup who had the forward thinking to make the required changes, particularly with the new initiative to employ a Twenty20 Specialist Coach.
Nobody should underestimate the expertise we have been able to draw on over the last 12 months, something that Kim has been at the forefront of making happen.
Credit must also go to the outgoing Supervisory Board members in September 2016, who supported the new changes and allowed the cricket management team to take the Club forward.
The Club was also projected onto the world stage in 2017 in hosting the ICC Women’s World Cup
Yes, and a fantastic honour for the Club to host eight games, including the tournament opener and the second semi-final. The opening ceremony was a great occasion and brought back memories of when we hosted a group game in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
I also attended some of the warm-up games in Chesterfield and it was great to see that the opening game at The 3aaa County Ground between England and India ended up being a dress rehearsal for the final.
The benefits for the Club both on and off the field were excellent and everybody who made it happen deserves all the praise they got from the local community, the ECB and ICC.
As a Club we have aspirations to host international cricket and the ICC Women’s World Cup was a fantastic spectacle. It will be good to host an England vs New Zealand Royal London Women’s ODI in July 2018 and welcome the victorious England team back to where it all began a year earlier.
What are your hopes on the field for 2018?
Being a traditionalist, I would love us to turn the away form in the County Championship into a home win as soon as possible, which hopefully will kick-start a run of games to make us challengers for promotion.
Obviously, the bar has now been raised by the team in 2017 and quarter-finals in T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup cricket should be key targets.
Having tasted a knockout game for the first time in many years, when we get another chance I am sure the team will be even better prepared to get us to T20 Blast Finals Day.
In 2020, the Club will celebrate its 150-year anniversary, are you looking forward to the landmark year?
Yes, very much so and I remember the 125-year celebrations. As a generation we will be fortunate to be Members and supporters in 2020 and to enjoy this landmark year in the Club’s history.
These opportunities do not come around very often and I know plans are already in place to celebrate the historic occasion with Members, supporters, sponsors and 1870 Business Club members.
At a time when T20 cricket is helping to raise the profile of the game and bring in the extra funds required for us to continue to enjoy county cricket, it will be great to celebrate the fact that Derbyshire has been around for 150 years and we look forward to many more.
What are your aims whilst on the Supervisory Board?
The role of Administration Director is similar to the old Honorary Secretary, so very much a supporting role to the Chief Executive and Supervisory Board, and someone who ensures the Club Rules are adhered to in the running of the Club.
I like to think that as I have been around the ground for many years I know a lot of the Members and supporters and I am always approachable on any subject. In 2018 we will again host the Members’ Forums and look to increase the number of these as requested by Members.
We look to stage these at different times of the day to ensure maximum participation and will again take at least one on the road to the north of the county.
We only get a short time to be privileged enough to serve on the Supervisory Board and the ultimate aim for me is to leave my role with the Club in a better position in all areas than when I joined.
So far in the four years I have been a Board Member, the Club has built the OKI Business & Media Centre and improved other areas of the ground, staged a major international tournament and started to put The 3aaa County Ground and City of Derby on the map to stage top-class concerts and other events.
All of these will enable us to continue to work hard to put the best team on the field for Derbyshire and hopefully take the next step to winning some silverware.
Price freeze for 2018. Club Membership will once again offer one great value price for all in 2018. Join today for only £139, if purchased before 1st February Early Bird deadline.
