Gloucestershire discover choices for brand spanking new stadium out of doors of Bristol

Gloucestershire County Cricket Membership have showed they’re exploring the opportunity of promoting their ancient house floor in Bristol, and shifting to a bespoke stadium out of doors of town.

The Nevil Highway Floor in central Bristol has been Gloucestershire’s base since 1889, when the land was once proficient to the membership by means of WG Grace, and has been a normal venue for England males’s and ladies’s white-ball internationals because the 1999 International Cup.

Then again, in fresh seasons, the bottom has been beset by means of drainage problems that led to the abandonment of each and every of its closing 4 ODIs, together with either one of its fixtures on the 2019 International Cup, and maximum just lately Eire’s talk over with in September.

Gloucestershire’s home season was once in a similar way disrupted, with their opening fixture of the County Championship, in opposition to Yorkshire in April, being deserted at the 3rd scheduled day with no ball being bowled. In line with their maximum just lately printed accounts, the membership misplaced £570,000 to the 12 months finishing January 31, 2023, having recorded a benefit of £92,000 in 2021-22.

Because of its central place, the alternatives to overtake the bottom’s current infrastructure are restricted, and following a record within the Telegraph closing week, which estimated that the land may well be value £40 million if it was once bought to builders, Gloucestershire have showed {that a} session is underway.

“To verify the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Gloucestershire Cricket, we will have to take a look at the opportunity of relocating the membership and at the moment are taking a look to go into into extra energetic negotiations round a possible transfer to a suitable new website online,” the membership wrote.

“While the present floor continues to be in a position to ship the very very best stage of cricket and buyer revel in at Nevil Highway, we need to additionally get ready for the long run. As we keep growing, the stress on infrastructure and amenities at Nevil Highway will turn out to be more and more difficult, as will get entry to to and from the bottom.

“The chance to relocate is a extremely thrilling prospect for the membership to discover, one that will permit us to go into the following level of our historical past and thrive someday as we proceed to regulate with the modernisation of cricket, how it’s delivered and the diversification of the entire industry.”

The membership’s most well-liked website online is just about the M4 in South Gloucestershire, at the outskirts of Bristol, making it “extra obtainable to bigger portions of the county”, and likewise permitting it to be “purpose-built to host the very best stage of global cricket occasions together with ICC fixtures”.

Gloucestershire Cricket chair, David Jones, stated: “This can be a vital turning level for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we glance to safe the membership’s long-term long run in an ever-changing wearing international.

“In addition to turning in for our individuals the trendy and low-carbon amenities they deserve with a purpose to show off an ever-wider vary of global magnificence occasions right here within the South West, we’re prepared to proceed our energetic function locally to widen participation and encourage the following technology of sports activities men and women.

“We stay up for attractive with our individuals, neighbouring citizens, stakeholders and the general public as we proceed a adventure that WG Grace began a few years in the past.”

”We’re transparent at the significance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the sport and recognise that persevered funding in any respect ranges is necessary for the continued enlargement of cricket around the area,” Gould added. “It is incredible to peer Gloucestershire exhibiting the ambition to supply cricket enthusiasts within the West Nation with a cutting-edge sports activities and recreational area.”