County cricket ground may be sold for housing

GLOUCESTERSHIRE County Cricket Club are reportedly considering selling the ground at Nevil Road – their home since the days of WG Grace – and potentially moving to a site outside Bristol.

The club sent an email from chairman David Jones to members on Thursday night, inviting them to face-to-face meetings in Bristol and Cheltenham on Tuesday, saying they wanted to “share an important update on the club, our future requirements, and the potential impact these may have on our home ground, the Seat Unique Stadium, at Nevil Road”.

The Daily Telegraph claims that the club are considering the sale of the ground to developers, with a move to a greenfield site outside the city, with the possibility of being in the new ground by 2030, when England, Scotland and Ireland are hosting the World Cup.

The paper says that there are several sites being considered and it is understood they are all north-east of the city, on the border with south Gloucestershire, close to the M4.

The ground at Nevil Road has been redeveloped in recent years with a new pavilion and flats overlooking the ground but the ground’s footprint prevents major redevelopment.

The Telegraph report says that the aim would be to build a ground to house Gloucestershire, international cricket, and perhaps a new franchise in the Hundred, which is looking at expanding in the next five years.

It would be hoped that the scheme would include a hotel, conferencing facilities and other commercial activities.

The site at Nevil Road is expected to bring in between £20m and £40m if sold, and would be a massive help to the cash-strapped county.

Their most recently published accounts, to the year ending January 31, 2023, showed a loss of £570,000 – a year earlier, they had recorded a profit of £92,000.

“There is no disguising the fact that this has not been a good year financially for the club,” said treasurer Rebecca Watkin in the club’s accounts.

Initially known as the Ashley Down Ground, the site was bought in 1889 by WG Grace, and he played in the opening match, along with his brother Edward.

It has been the county’s home to

Gloucestershire ever since.

It was sold to local confectionery firm J S Fry & Sons in 1919 and renamed Fry’s Ground, but the club bought the ground back in 1933 and it reverted to its original name.

It was sold again in 1976, this time to Royal & Sun Alliance which renamed the ground the Phoenix County Ground for eight years before changing to the Royal & Sun Alliance County Ground.

The ground was again bought by the club in 2004 and took up its current title.

It is steeped in history having hosted legendary players such as Grace, Gilbert Jessop and Wally Hammond, as well as modern-day stars such as Mike Procter, Zaheer Abbas, Jack Russell and Courtney Walsh.

Gloucestershire CCC has not commented on the reports.