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MCC is on a sticky wicket with future Lord’s Tests
Major matches vital for £80m ground redevelopment success
LORD’S faces fresh challenges over its plans to finance an £80 million redevelopment of its ground.
Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns the home of cricket, is seeking £20 million in funding from sales of special 75-year membership seats as it raises capacity to 35,000.
The debentures, which cost between £8,000 and £12,000, give purchasers first call on Test seats.
Lord’s pledge – to stage two Tests each summer – is critical to the business plan.
The MCC’s agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board expires in 2009 and the body has indicated it could refuse an application for a guaranteed two Tests each summer.
The EWCB, the governing board of cricket, wants uniform staging agreements for all host counties and despite Lord’s historical pre-eminence the body has said it will not “bend over backwards” for the ground.
A spokesman for Lord’s said the ground contributing around £30 million to St John’s Wood and Marylebone each year.
A study of the Test match between England and the West Indies in May revealed that the game generated £10 million for the local economy, the equivalent of 133 to 151 full-time jobs. The report by consultancy London Economics on behalf of the MCC revealed proposals to increase the ground’s capacity by 5,000 would create an additional £3 million a year.
MCC secretary and chief executive Keith Bradshaw said: “These figures underline the importance of having these major matches and what it would mean if we lost a Test match, not just for us but for St John’s Wood and London as a whole.
“Lord’s is the home of cricket and every cricketer wants to play there. To not have Test matches here would be like having Wimbledon at Eastbourne.”
Murad Qureshi, a local resident and Greater London Assembly member said: “Major matches at Lord’s are clearly bringing a great deal of prosperity to the local area, as well as real economic benefits to London as a whole.
“By measuring the matches’ economic impact, London Economics have made a major contribution to the debate about where these games should be played in the future.” |
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