Derbyshire return record profit to end year of great encouragement

After one of the most encouraging on-field summers in many years in 2019, Derbyshire put the icing on the cake today with the announcement of a profit over the year of £402,000.

It is a club record and worthy of huge congratulations to everyone involved in the off-field side of things. They run a tight ship and there is little to spare in the staffing, but it shows what can be done when everyone has a job to do, knows it and does it to a very high standard.

There was a time, in the early days of this blog, when I was critical of the way the club was run, but it is very hard to do so today. It is a friendly set up and the warm welcome from all involved is a pleasure.

It is easy, as a supporter of the cricket side, to become blase about the 'other stuff'. Yet it is in the success of that other stuff that the club can develop and thrive. Together with their income from the new media deal, the success of the annual fireworks show, the festive parties, concerts and meetings contribute to a very healthy picture. As did making Finals Day for the first time, which put a handy £57K into the coffers, while record attendance receipts saw an additional £91K.

It has helped Dave Houghton to strengthen this winter, while there are plans to increase the seating, replace the scoreboard and install new toilets, as well as enhancing the concessions around the ground.

I was only saying to my Dad the other night that I couldn't recall being so enthused with the set up and staff of both my football and cricket teams as I am at present. Phillip Cocu is doing a sterling job at Derby County, while Dave Houghton gives off similar calm vibes, of a man who knows what he is doing and how to take the club forward.

'Underestimated no more' is the tag line used often in social media posts from Derbyshire, and they are right. There will be few teams turn up to play us this summer and expect us to roll over, as the side is packed with professionalism from top to bottom.

If we can display another ten per cent improvement in the playing personnel when we get to the season opener, what a belter 2020 may turn out to be.

A record profit as we begin our 150th anniversary year.

Winning a trophy would make it a very, very special one indeed.