Business of Cricket Awards showcase innovation and good practice amongst First-Class Counties

Warwickshire were the biggest winners at the Business of Cricket Awards (BOCAs) which was staged at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday 10 November.

The Edgbaston-based club claimed four of the 14 awards handed out to celebrate innovation and best practice across the First-Class Counties. Some of the awards considered the period between 2020 and 2022 after the BOCAs were unable to be staged during that time due to the pandemic.

Warwickshire won the Pam Brown EDI Initiative Award 2020-2022 for the club’s ground-breaking ‘Edgbaston for Everyone’ action plan.

The club also claimed the Sustainability Campaign of the Year 2020-2022 after developing the ‘Edgbaston Pledge’ to help achieve an ambition for the venue to become the most sustainable cricket stadium in the UK and to be a leader and pioneer for sustainability in UK sport.

Warwickshire also won the Tickets or Memberships Sales and Marketing campaign of the Year 2020-2022 and the Customer retention initiative of the Year 2020-2022 awards.

Hampshire’s Greig Stewart won the coveted Dinesh Patel MVP 2022 award as the club claimed a total of three awards on the night.

Stewart earned his recognition following a decade of service to the club during which time he has worked tirelessly to grow the game and enhance supporter and visitor experience at The Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire also claimed the Community Engagement Campaign of the Year 2020-2022 for its Hampshire Hawks City Academy project, which has aimed to increase the number and diversity of young people playing cricket at all levels in urban areas. The club also won the Digital campaign of the Year 2020-2022 for its ‘Evening Major’ content.

Somerset’s fly-on-the-wall documentary series ‘Behind The Wyvern’ won Best Digital Innovation 2020-2022 as it provided a player-led insight into life at the club.

The series, which helped Somerset win the YouTube Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Sports Awards, has been established as the club’s flagship content and attracted future digital-only sponsorship deals.

Nottinghamshire won both the Most Welcoming Stadia 2020-2022 award and the Best International Spectator Experience 2022 award – the latter of which is decided by matchday survey scores – to reaffirm Trent Bridge as a perfect day out to watch cricket. Derbyshire won the Best Domestic Spectator Experience 2022.

Glamorgan Operations Manager, George Mead, was named the 2022 Rising Star after he stepped up from his role to expertly lead the club’s entire operational planning and delivery in a year Sophia Gardens was also shortlisted for the Most Welcoming Stadia award.

Durham and Surrey shared the Communications Campaign of the Year 2020-2022. Surrey earned the award for their superbly-landed ‘The Micky Stewart Oval’ campaign, which additionally helped raise funds for the Alleyn’s School charity to improve access to cricket for disadvantaged children.

Durham were rewarded for its clear communication strategy to fans after it’s England Men’s international against Sri Lanka last summer was selected to be a part of the Government’s Event Research programme to safely welcome spectators back to major events.

Marylebone Cricket Club won the Best Development of New Facility award for the Compton and Edrich Stands which, as well as providing better viewing for fans, featured sustainability initiatives which include being heated and cooled entirely from renewable energy and green walls made up of 12,000 plants to provide wildlife habitats to help reduce the venue’s urban heat island effect.

BOCA winners and short-listed entries:

Tickets or Memberships Sales and Marketing campaign of the Year 2020-2022

Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Finalists: Hampshire Cricket, Somerset County Cricket Club.

Best Digital Innovation 2020-2022

Winner: Somerset County Cricket Club

Finalists: Lancashire Cricket, Derbyshire County Cricket Club

Sustainability Campaign of the Year 2020-2022

Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Finalists: Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Surrey County Cricket Club

Communications Campaign of the Year 2020-2022

Winners: Durham Cricket & Surrey County Cricket Club

Finalist: Nottinghamshire

Community Engagement Campaign of the Year 2020-2022

Winner: Hampshire Cricket

Finalists: Leicestershire County Cricket Club, Kent Cricket, Marylebone Cricket Club

Customer retention initiative of the Year 2020-2022

Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Finalist: Hampshire Cricket

Digital campaign of the Year 2020-2022

Winner: Hampshire Cricket

Finalists: Derbyshire, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club

Best Development or New Facility 2020-2022

Winner: Marylebone Cricket Club

Finalists: Somerset County Cricket Club, Surrey County Cricket Club

Most Welcoming Stadia 2020-2022

Winner: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

Finalists: Glamorgan Cricket, Surrey County Cricket Club

Pam Brown EDI Initiative Award 2020-2022

Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Finalists: Glamorgan Cricket, Kent Cricket

Dinesh Patel MVP 2022: Greig Stewart, Hampshire

Rising Star 2022: George Mead, Glamorgan

Best Domestic Spectator Experience 2022: Derbyshire

Best International Spectator Experience 2022: Nottinghamshire

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