(Photo: Getty Images)
By Adam Ellis
Lancashire have recorded an operating profit of £2.347m for the year ending December 2017, a significant increase of 92% on 2016’s figures.
Buoyed by attendances for last summer’s Test when Old Trafford welcomed South Africa and a crowd in close to 20,000 who watched the War of the Rose T20 match, Lancashire made a surplus of 971,000 – the county’s first since 2013.
A statement detailing the club’s financial performance, read: “Test match returns significantly improved compared with 2016 despite the game again starting on a Friday. Total attendance for the visit of South Africa exceeded 60,000 which was nearly 10,000 up on the previous year when England entertained Pakistan.
“Following the recent High Profile match allocation, which includes four Test Matches in five years, including an Ashes in 2023, as well as the appointment of Emirates OId Trafford as a host venue for the new T20 Competition, the club is now able to look ahead with certainty of international cricket through to 2024.
Extending their capacity for hospitality and corporate events with an opening of on-site Hilton Garden Inn hotel last August, Lancashire’s plan for sustainable profit through new facilities at Old Trafford is now in effect.
Finance Director, Lee Morgan, stated: “With the completion of the new hotel bringing the lengthy development period to a conclusion, the club is now able to fully focus on maximising the return on its investment by growing its business activities for the future benefit of cricket at both elite and recreational level.
“It is important that the club uses its world class facilities to create a lasting legacy with Emirates Old Trafford being the centre for cricket in the north west.”
On the pitch, Glen Chapple’s side are preparing to open their 2018 season against newly-promoted Nottinghamshire in Division One tomorrow at Old Trafford.
