Sussex raises ‘crown jewels’ concerns 23/11/2009 |
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Sussex chairman Jim May has become the latest high-profile cricket figure to speak out about the consequences of returning the Ashes to terrestrial television.
A review led by former Football Association executive director David Davies has proposed that the series be returned to the ‘crown jewels’ list of events that are shown on free-to-air channels.
But the England & Wales Cricket Board argue that such a move would lead to a massive loss of income from lucrative pay-TV contracts and could have a negative effect on the grassroots level of the sport.
May said: “Within cricket, we recognise that there are potential risks to the profile of the game from the inability of the terrestrial TV stations to offer cricket coverage on financial terms which recognise the value of the sport.
“It is therefore vital that we invest the proceeds wisely to ensure the pipeline of players, volunteers and supporters of the game at all levels is kept full.
“In Sussex, we invest over £500,000 each year in developing cricket participation and the TV money directly contributes to these initiatives.
“We support our 240-plus clubs in Sussex by offering advice on facilities improvement, child welfare and recruiting volunteers.
“It is our view that the Sky TV contract has offered exposure to parts of the game that would not have gained that otherwise.
“While free-to-air exposure would increase viewing numbers, the risk to revenue would have a major impact on participation and investment programmes in the local cities, towns and villages.
“I hope that the ECB and the panel can come to a suitable resolution which protects the progress made to date and ultimately offers greater scope for a wide range of future benefits for the sport.
“At Sussex, we will do all we can to support the process and will watch its progress with great interest.”
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