Sussex Cricket Club Reports More Than £1m Operating Loss

Sussex County Cricket Club has reported an operating loss of £1.33m in its 2024 to 2025 accounts, published to members on Tuesday.

The figures come after sanctions were imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Club chairman John Filby has stepped down, while former Sussex player Matt Prior is among those calling for changes at board level.

Earlier this month, Sussex were handed a twelve-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship due to what the ECB described as sustained operating losses during the last financial year.

The club has also been docked one point in both the T20 Blast and the One-Day Cup.

Further suspended penalties across all three competitions will hang over Sussex for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

In addition, a player salary cap will remain in place until 2028.

The club must also submit a three-year business plan to the ECB and demonstrate sustainable year-on-year operating profits across that period.

Acting chief executive Mark West described the financial results as “very disappointing” and “not where we want to be”.

He said the losses had had a “massive impact” across the club, but added it was important for members to see the full detail behind recent headlines.

Responding to questions about whether initial budgets had been overly optimistic, West said the club’s growth strategy and ideas were positive in principle but “didn’t land”.

“They weren’t anchored to a realistic cost base, which we were then stuck with despite the income subsequently failing to materialise,” he said.

“We’ve got to look beyond just cricket in the summer and events that rely on the weather.”

With hindsight, West acknowledged a more gradual approach would have been preferable.

Despite the current challenges, West described this year’s budget as “looking great”, adding that Sussex must now “cut our cloth according to what we can afford in the future.”