OCA bracing for sizeable deficit
THE Otago Cricket Association will be facing a deficit of up to $50,000 as it grapples with a significant decline in revenue.
The rapidly developing coronavirus pandemic has cost thousands of lives and has plunged the sporting world into a tailspin.
Cricket has not been spared. OCA chief executive Mike Coggan expects the association will miss out on up to $120,000 of revenue due to the postponement and cancellation of events.
That will leave a significant hole in its budget.
The OCA has had to cancelled its Long Lunch at the Longroom and the postponement of the T20 between the Black Caps and Australia scheduled for the University of Otago Oval on Tuesday was another lost opportunity to generate some revenue. Between those two events alone, the OCA is looking at a shortfall in potential revenue of $45,000.
With all nonessential businesses forced to shut down the facetoface side of their operation, the OCA’s winter programmes and events have been postponed or cancelled.
‘‘I’m still working through all the financial implications but we are going to be about $120,000 shy of our revenue targets,’’ Coggan said.
‘‘But that will also be offset by considerable costs. I suggest we were looking at an OK surplus, we are now looking at a reasonablysized deficit.
‘‘It could be anything between $30,000$50,000.’’
Earlier this month it was announced Otago assistant coach Anton Roux had accepted a position with Nottinghamshire and will not be back next season.
The firm intention is to replace Roux but Coggan said it depends on what shape professional cricket will take in the future.
‘‘With what has happened during the past month or so, it is difficult to do any structural planning about what it may look like next summer.
‘‘Our first priority is to look after the welfare of the staff we have and working through the challenges of working remotely [while the country is in lockdown for the next four weeks].
‘‘But longer term that will be something that comes out of the reviews.’’
Coggan said provincial cricket would fare better than some other sports because the elite programme was largely funded through New Zealand Cricket, so any cutbacks would have to come from the national body.
Coggan said the OCA still planned to hold its annual awards evening to celebrate what was a muchimproved season by the Volts and the Sparks achievement in making the elimination final of the twenty20 tournament.
The awards were postponed from their regular slot in early April and pencilled in for a date in September once everybody had arrived back for the next season.