I live in London and have seen Warwickshire at 2 Middlesex outgrounds now, Uxbridge and Radlett, plus I have been to Old Deer Park in Richmond to see other Middlesex games. No way are they laying out 100K for these fixtures. It seems to be four things they get in i) Portable toilets ii) Small stands and tents iii) An immense stack of foldable chairs with the understanding you bring your own if you don't like hard plastic iv) Catering vans or mobile bars, at it's best and most rudimentary, at Richmond, an old enamel bath filled with ice with 100s of cans in it. One thing I don't know, Uxbridge and Richmond have big bars or pavilions and can handle a big crowd, it might be the Warks ground don't have. But it's not a deal breaker. Admittedly I haven't thought about parking, that might be different in London, and I don't know how much those four things cost, but there is an income against those things as well...

If you look at the set up at Cheltenham, where about 1/3rd of the boundary is given over to marquees, which will need a kitchen, cooks and waiting staff, as well as the additional stewarding costs, plus the cost of transporting the stewards from Bristol each day my figure would be pretty accurate.
Corporate sponsors will not spend their money for a hard seat and a dodgy burger.

We all have differing views on the subject, I have no doubt that a lot of the logistical issues could be resolved if a comercial sponsor from Warwick, Coventry, Nuneaton or Stratford offered to underwrite the extensive costs involved.

As a Birmingham based member (who apparently doesn't understand the county concept) I'm very open to the idea of a fixture being played at an outground as long as the viewing is good (this is an absolute must), the seating is comfortable, public transport links to the area are workable and there be access to good toilet facilities (I want to be able to wash my hands properly and not stand in piss). I can look past poor catering/bar facilities personally, though I appreciate many others won't.

There is loads of Birmingham based members who are very much in favour of a fixture being played at an outground, there really is. It's gotta be good though. When we played at Rugby School in 2013 I went, I was very open minded. I never went in 2014 though because I came away a bit unimpressed by the previous years experience.

I'd try another one again though willingly.

Highveld wrote:

which will need a kitchen, cooks and waiting staff, as well as the additional stewarding costs

We already have all of those staff at Edgbaston on a match day though, surely they could work from an outground for one day a season (this could even be written into whatever contract they already have with the club whenever it is next renewed). I can’t imagine we’d need as many staff at an outground as at Edgbaston anyway

I don't know. I'm not that invested in it (though if there were a game in Rugby it would make me more likely to attend - its much nearer) but if it were a cost of £100k with no guarantee of any income not many other counties would do it. My point about Middlesex was mainly that they do it relatively cheaply and flexibly. Personally I like a dodgy burger and a can of IPA from a chilled bathtub so their position isn't at odds with the market.

Highveld wrote:

If you look at the set up at Cheltenham, where about 1/3rd of the boundary is given over to marquees, which will need a kitchen, cooks and waiting staff, as well as the additional stewarding costs, plus the cost of transporting the stewards from Bristol each day my figure would be pretty accurate.
Corporate sponsors will not spend their money for a hard seat and a dodgy burger.

We all have differing views on the subject, I have no doubt that a lot of the logistical issues could be resolved if a comercial sponsor from Warwick, Coventry, Nuneaton or Stratford offered to underwrite the extensive costs involved.

At minimal cost Warwickshire could set something up at one or two grounds that would provide the basis for such an event being staged at some point in the future. Much as Portland Road works for me as it means I can get to see 2nds, age group and women's games it just isn't suitable for spectating. It is a training facility. That's where Edgbaston rightly or wrongly have ploughed much of that extraneous investment into over the last 6-7 years. It will take a complete change of approach and direction (alongside a recognition that Portland Road will never be able to stage a professional match, and neither will Moseley with its short boundaries despite having lots of space for parking/marquee's and two hybrid pitches and improved drainage) from the club and will need a staff member on the admin side tasked with facilitating this/work with a couple of candidate grounds to help bring them up to speed/overcome any challenges or barriers like the ones mentioned above. Then opt for one ground to stage perhaps two of these 50 over matches in 2024 and using anything learned from that experience try to stage a Championship match in 2025

We don’t need to replicate the Cheltenham Festival - what a ludicrous comparison!

We don’t need chefs, waiters, Michelin stars or any other bogus obstacle suggested.

We are talking about one day’s cricket not even a four day game at this stage.

It really wouldn’t cost much at all and numerous grounds would qualify but I would suggest higher population areas like Nuneaton and Coventry away from Birmingham would be best.

I’ve seen Warwickshire play at Whitgift, Beckenham, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Guildford amongst others. It’s really not that difficult to set up seating, toilets, a beer tent, burgers and an ice cream van.

Some of the obstacles claimed are bizarre.

And to those talking about distance and transport - imagine what it’s like for some of us to travel to every match at Edgbaston.

As for Birmingham members not understanding the county concept. Of course it’s not all of them. The comment was in reply to Gerry who spoke about Notts members complaining about travelling. I said I’m sure we would get the same. There used to be one chap on the old forum - who came from Norfolk and actually lived in Worcestershire although he didn’t realise it - who obsessively complained about outgrounds because he had had to travel to Stratford. I’ve seen similar obstacle placing from Birmingham based members at the AGM. And obviously there’s a member on this forum coming up with all sorts of spurious excuses.

It’s a sad fact Birmingham has forgotten/lost its connection as being part of Warwickshire in a way Manchester and Leeds haven’t with Lancashire and Yorkshire even though the circumstances are identical.

There's a whole separate argument that could fire up here on what the ideal catering set up is for an outground and we've had some great pointers such as the Traditional English Ale in Surrey, the ice cream van and dodgy burgers. If anything the outgrounds liberate us a bit and we're not hemmed in by Marstons stadium ale. I too remember being in a real ale festival at a Guildford bears game a few years back.

BosworthBear wrote:

We don’t need to replicate the Cheltenham Festival - what a ludicrous comparison!

We don’t need chefs, waiters, Michelin stars or any other bogus obstacle suggested.

We are talking about one day’s cricket not even a four day game at this stage.

It really wouldn’t cost much at all and numerous grounds would qualify but I would suggest higher population areas like Nuneaton and Coventry away from Birmingham would be best.

I’ve seen Warwickshire play at Whitgift, Beckenham, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Guildford amongst others. It’s really not that difficult to set up seating, toilets, a beer tent, burgers and an ice cream van.

Some of the obstacles claimed are bizarre.

And to those talking about distance and transport - imagine what it’s like for some of us to travel to every match at Edgbaston.

As for Birmingham members not understanding the county concept. Of course it’s not all of them. The comment was in reply to Gerry who spoke about Notts members complaining about travelling. I said I’m sure we would get the same. There used to be one chap on the old forum - who came from Norfolk and actually lived in Worcestershire although he didn’t realise it - who obsessively complained about outgrounds because he had had to travel to Stratford. I’ve seen similar obstacle placing from Birmingham based members at the AGM. And obviously there’s a member on this forum coming up with all sorts of spurious excuses.

It’s a sad fact Birmingham has forgotten/lost its connection as being part of Warwickshire in a way Manchester and Leeds haven’t with Lancashire and Yorkshire even though the circumstances are identical.

I agree that another Cheltenham is not what we are discussing. But the suggestion that the cost of marquees and staff to cater for them is a drag on the viability of Cheltenham is far from the mark. The organisations that have marquees at Cheltenham pay through the nose for the privilege. If you don't believe me, contact Gloucestershire CCC and say that you would like to hire a marquee at Cheltenham next year and see what price they quote you.

One outground where Warwickshire have played is Clifton Park in York. Chris Waters was there yesterday and describes the scene:
"...the venue looked as pretty as a picture, with spectators filling the blue seats of the temporary stand opposite the pavilion and lining the boundary with their deckchairs and picnics."
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cricket/respite-from-the-hundred-but-yorkshire-ccc-are-hammered-at-york-4259719

York is a decent one. The bar area and pavilion have good facilities. York obviously a really nice place to visit too.

If Gary Barwell has to prepare a wicket that close to the Pershore Road side, it is obvious that Edgbaston cannot cope with this amount of cricket. What was the boundary... about 40 yards? The infield circle was so close the rope.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cricket/york-cricket-club-eyes-that-festival-feeling-4269270

Hopefully get chance to visit York to watch some cricket in the coming years. Given Scarborough has two Championship matches annually if York gets one that'll leave Headingley only hosting 4 currently and those will be in April and September

Good news is there is no way they could ever countenance reducing the number of county fixtures if it left Leeds with just 4 CC matches

Hopefully Yorkshire CCC start lobbying for a return to 2 divisions of 9 and 16 county championship matches, a proper one day cup and this Hundred Blast hybrid that's coming in the next couple of years gives the requisite space in the schedule