Newly-installed Nottinghamshire Chief Executive Lisa Pursehouse is determined to maintain the position of Trent Bridge as a leading Test Match Venue.
Lisa took the helm on Monday having served as Deputy Chief Executive for the past seven years and has been immediately tasked with finalising a funding package for a second replay screen and generating the income that will be required to redevelop the William Clarke Stand.
She joined Trent Bridge as Sales and Marketing Manager in 2000 after five years with Yorkshire and realised a long-held ambition when she was named as the fourth Chief Executive of Notts.
“We pride ourselves, first and foremost, on hosting Test cricket.” Lisa Pursehouse
“I have stayed at Trent Bridge for a long time because this is the job that I have always wanted,” she said.
“During my time here, and even before I arrived, the ground has been thoughtfully redeveloped as part of a long-term masterplan and I want to continue to enhance Trent Bridge whilst retaining the charm that has become our hallmark.
“In recent years we have achieved the holy grail of sports administration by balancing investment in the venue and our professional team and we will continue to strike that balance in the future.”
An advocate for the retention of the LV= County Championship in its current format, 40-over cricket in the domestic calendar and a three-week slot for Friends Life t20 matches, Lisa is highly-regarded within the game and has been active within ECB working parties for a number of years.
“Derek and I worked in close partnership with clearly defined roles and we achieved a lot together in terms of ground developments, bidding for Ashes Tests and staging major matches,” she said.
“The programme of matches that we have secured to 2016 will provide us with a fantastic opportunity but there is a lot that needs to be done because of the commitments that we have made to enhance Trent Bridge, the staging fees that we have to meet and the organisational structure that needs to be implemented.
“Supporting the team and achieving success on the pitch is an absolute priority but playing and commercial success are symbiotic.”
Trent Bridge will host three England matches this summer with the Investec Test against West Indies beginning on Friday 25 May.
“We pride ourselves, first and foremost, on hosting Test cricket,” said Lisa.
“Our members support it, we have a tradition of strong ticket sales and England like playing here.
“We have priced the West Indies Test to sell and introduced discounts for groups, families and under 21s that have proved to be successful.
“I will be immensely proud when England face Australia here next year but there is a lot of hard work to do ahead of that day.”