Members Forum 30th July

[nat]

Absolutely not. ECCC is not run badly, it I know from personal experience that it is run by people who care and worry about ECCC, and it has been hit by a catastrophe not of its own making. It needs money. I am content for my subscription to count as a donation to keep my county cricket club functioning, so that it can continue to employ decent cricketers and indeed just exist. I am unlikely to watch Essex live this season but I do not mind. I am a pensioner and not wealthy. I was also born in the county and so I care profoundly whether ECCC survives. Gentlemen, please reconsider, and desist from this destructive hostility.

I'm afraid you are defending the indefensible. You are free to donate money to the club but equally other members should be entitled to a refund if they want it. Also it's just plain bad PR from the club and ultimately self defeating. f the club had done the right thing then in future years many members would be more inclined to support the club financially.

A stupid decision.

[vim]

I thought that the Counties were going to have a common approach following their meeting today. There appears to be wide variation in what is being offered.

Essex CCC are no doubt pleased with themselves. Lets see how pleased they are when no one renews next season. Another option to Court action or an EGM, is to all have a (Geoff) boycott.

[pablo]

No one cares more about the club than I do either and I would have been prepared to donate some or all of this year's membership but the 'compensation package' is derisory - pin badge anyone- and i am sure that in law there has to be an option for a refund. This is a desperately poor show all round. If Durham and Leicester - both in dire straights financially- can offer a refund why can't we?

[Postman]

Steady on folks. The guest ticket offer for every day of the CC and 50 over means that a couple (or two friends or whatever) can just take out one membership for next season (with discount) and the other person gets in free. (Admittedly only one of them gets a free lunch...)
I don't blame people for feeling aggrieved, but we have to be realistic. This is an existential threat to the kind of county cricket we have all known for years. We have been told that to refund everyone this year would cost £450k, so those asking for a rollover are asking for that kind of cost to be incurred next year instead. The committee are trying to cope with an impossible situation over which they have no control.
I do however think they could offer some additional incentive to renew by direct debit, say an extra 10% off, because things could still look very uncertain by January when the d/ds fall due.

[nat]

Steady on folks. The guest ticket offer for every day of the CC and 50 over means that a couple (or two friends or whatever) can just take out one membership for next season (with discount) and the other person gets in free. (Admittedly only one of them gets a free lunch...)
I don't blame people for feeling aggrieved, but we have to be realistic. This is an existential threat to the kind of county cricket we have all known for years. We have been told that to refund everyone this year would cost £450k, so those asking for a rollover are asking for that kind of cost to be incurred next year instead. The committee are trying to cope with an impossible situation over which they have no control.
I do however think they could offer some additional incentive to renew by direct debit, say an extra 10% off, because things could still look very uncertain by January when the d/ds fall due.

6
sorry but you are missing the point. The club had a choice, do the right thing by members...or do the wrong thing. They chose the latter. The club can afford £450k. They have financial reserves of more than £2m.

[vim]

So renew next January by direct debit and if it is the same situation get shafted again. There are a lot of people who have been left in a difficult financial situation and why should they be taken advantage of.

I look forward to the stream from the one fixed camera when if someone is caught in the deep you have no idea what has happened. Also if a six is hit you have to wait until the Umpire shows you.

I have no sympathy for the club by the way that they have acted.

[Caughtright]

I anticipated that I would be banging my head against a brick wall. I notice we are not the only county not to be offering full refunds. My point of view is defensible and does not require to be patronised. As a member continuously for 54 years I am very glad and indeed relieved if the Club has £2m in reserve, and I am happy to add to that. I feel that someone has to contradict the negativity and bile of so many of these posts.   

[Stringbok]

Absolutely not. ECCC is not run badly, it I know from personal experience that it is run by people who care and worry about ECCC, and it has been hit by a catastrophe not of its own making. It needs money. I am content for my subscription to count as a donation to keep my county cricket club functioning, so that it can continue to employ decent cricketers and indeed just exist. I am unlikely to watch Essex live this season but I do not mind. I am a pensioner and not wealthy. I was also born in the county and so I care profoundly whether ECCC survives. Gentlemen, please reconsider, and desist from this destructive hostility.

I agree with you.  Watching Essex has given me a lot of pleasure over the years and for me the important thing is that the club gets through this and can continue to play for years to come.  I am quite happy to donate my membership. However I am reasonably well off and the membership fee is not even equal to one months saving on my over priced greater anglia season ticket.  I realise others are not so fortunate.

However I do think it wrong that the club have not offered a choice.  I think if they had followed Glamorgan’s example they would have had a similar response of 90% donations despite the evidence of the relatively small sample size of this forum.

[vim]

It is nice to see that people care about the club, shame that the club could not care about them.

Is there something more to this course of action? Is anything still hanging over the club regarding the ground development? Or is there some other financial black hole which is only known about in the committee room?

[Postman]

It is nice to see that people care about the club, shame that the club could not care about them.

Is there something more to this course of action? Is anything still hanging over the club regarding the ground development? Or is there some other financial black hole which is only known about in the committee room?

I may not agree with Vim about refunds/discounts etc, but he does touch on a relevant point because nothing was said last night about the AGM and we have not seen the accounts. My guess would be that this may be because there is a debate about what sort of provision is needed to reflect the expected losses due to the virus. I agree we need to have a full picture of the finances, and this should happen in the normal way by a presentation of the accounts at the (no doubt virtual) AGM.

[Can the Can]

Absolutely not. ECCC is not run badly, it I know from personal experience that it is run by people who care and worry about ECCC, and it has been hit by a catastrophe not of its own making. It needs money. I am content for my subscription to count as a donation to keep my county cricket club functioning, so that it can continue to employ decent cricketers and indeed just exist. I am unlikely to watch Essex live this season but I do not mind. I am a pensioner and not wealthy. I was also born in the county and so I care profoundly whether ECCC survives. Gentlemen, please reconsider, and desist from this destructive hostility.

Well said.

If any member can't afford to donate this year's subscription to the club all they have to do is send an email and they will get it back.

I have no problem with adding to the club's financial reserves at this time and will be renewing as soon as 2021 membership becomes available even if there is still a good chance of not getting in the ground in 2021.

I want the club to exist in 2030, 2040, 2050 etc and I am not bothered in the slightest about the club retaining my membership money for this year if that helps one tiny little bit, well that's money well spent as far as I'm concerned.

If you think otherwise fair enough I respect your opinion and would think nothing bad of you if you were to send that email to ask for your money back.

[botany71]

I anticipated that I would be banging my head against a brick wall. I notice we are not the only county not to be offering full refunds. My point of view is defensible and does not require to be patronised. As a member continuously for 54 years I am very glad and indeed relieved if the Club has £2m in reserve, and I am happy to add to that. I feel that someone has to contradict the negativity and bile of so many of these posts.
Agree with you 100% I am very happy to do all I can to support a club who has especially over the last few years given me so much enjoyment I do not normally post but feel I must to counter some of the moaners on here

[Mog]

This is No Change Essex encapsulated perfectly. As has been said by plenty, if you choose to donate your membership fee, that's fine, but it is your choice.
What ECCC have done is take away any choice, delivering a fait accompli. Unfortunately, it is how they operate. They do so due to inaction or any concerted response by members to a whole host of issues over a rather long period of time. On every occasion that members have collectively done nothing, the Club feel a little bit more emboldened.
Because ECCC have had a couple of years' of success on the field, should absolutely not absolve the Club from any blame for their policies and operations off of it.

I believe BBC Essex have their Cricket themed show on tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps those who feel strongly, either way should publicise this and perhaps get the Club to justify their policy.

[vim]

My circumstances is that as a Premier member I am more affected that most of the members. I have however received a letter from the club today advising that the additional fee that we pay to use the suite which is not part of the members enclosure will be refunded.

Todays announcement may have changed matters, but I wonder could Garon Park have been used for the BWT. There is enough room to get plenty of spaced out chairs in. Playing there would make the 20% discount appear to be more reasonable. For next season I feel it should be 80% discount 20% fee not the other way round.

[nat]

Message on the club website and FAQ. Doesn't get any better I'm afraid.