Derbyshire: Millions from Hundred franchise sales a ‘game changer’

The £17m windfall Derbyshire are set to receive in the next year is significantly more than the club has ever been able to generate in a single season.

Derbyshire’s biggest source of income in recent years has been money received from the ECB’s central fund.

In the club’s latest financial accounts, covering the 12 months up to 31 December 2024, £3.2m of the £5.8m generated came from the ECB.

The millions that will now pour into the County Ground will go towards major facility upgrades and other projects, as “guiderails” imposed by the ECB when handing the money out means it cannot go directly to the playing squads.

Duckett says the cash will “future proof” the county and eventually help strengthen the team on the field.

“The money that you invest allows you to grow your business, and that, in turn, allows you to spend more money on players and invest more in our men’s and women’s programmes,” Duckett said.

Already, Derbyshire are planning a lighting upgrade at their County Ground home, while work to improve changing and hospitality facilities as well as the outfield and drainage at the stadium are all on the agenda.

“It’s not necessarily going to allow you to grow your revenues in the short term, but it is the right thing to do as a professional cricket club,” Duckett said.

“Then longer term we will look to invest in facilities that will allow us to grow.”

Derbyshire remain in the hunt for promotion to the top flight of the County Championship as the four-day competition enters its final month.

The conclusion of the season has also coincided with growing uncertainty around what the red-ball game will look like at domestic level in future years.

A long-discussed revamp appears to have been put on hold until 2027 – if changes are implemented at all.

Already, however, a reduction in T20 Blast fixtures has been signed off – which is something Duckett says the club was opposed to, but has come to accept.

He went on to say that an increase in One-Day Cup fixtures remains a possibility going forward.

“It’s about trying to balance all the different stakeholders, from the playing side of things, members’ interests and commercial impacts,” Duckett said.

“The One-Day Cup has been hugely popular and even when missing some star players, who were playing in The Hundred, there has been some unbelievable cricket [this season].

“We had some disappointing results, but there were some brilliant matches and the crowds were really good. There is certainly a push from a number of counties, particularly from those non-Hundred host counties, for more content in August.

“So again, while there is a reduction with the Blast and who knows what is happening with the Championship, there is a push to increase One-Cay Cup matches.”