Ashley Giles: I've got the best of both worlds at Warwickshire

Mar 16 2009 by Alun Thorne, Birmingham Post

As Warwickshire strives to ensure Edgbaston remains one of the jewels in the cricketing crown, Head of Business Alun Thorne spoke to director of cricket Ashley Giles about how he is helping to achieve this aim both on and off the pitch.

Ashley Giles and the rest of the management at Warwickshire County Cricket Club are preparing to take themselves off for an away day.

While there will almost certainly be some good food to be had and no doubt a drink or two, this will be far from a jolly.

“Sometimes it’s important to get away from the ground and talk detail,” said the former England spin bowler. “I find you can do a lot of your good business over a pint.”

It’s a reflection of the change in role and status Giles now enjoys at the club since taking over as director of cricket following his retirement in 2007 that he was invited along to the event – and highlights the crucial part he has, both on and off the field, in the future success of the Edgbaston club.

Cricket is undoubtedly in the midst of something of a revolution. The advent of Twenty20 has bought in the new fans the sport has been crying out for and initiatives like the Indian Premier League has seen the sport’s top stars earning fortunes they would have only dreamed of when they first pulled on their whites.

Despite a couple of well-publicised hiccups along the way, cricket looks like it is carving itself out a viable future and Warwickshire CCC is determined to ensure Edgbaston is right at the heart of this revolution.

As the man responsible for the county team that makes Edgbaston its home, Giles is obviously in a pivotal position. If the Bears are winning, then it’s job done. Well, not quite.

While what happens on the pitch will always be Giles’ primary focus, his wider influence in helping ensure Edgbaston remains a strong business proposition should not be underestimated.

“Ultimately it is important to work hand-in-hand with the business side of the club,” he said. “Of course my primary focus is cricket but a happy team breeds more sales and more sponsorship. The more money you’ve got, the more wages you can pay, the better players you can sign and the further you go up the scale.”

As the cost of bankrolling professional sports teams has risen in recent years, so venues have had to refocus their minds on additional income streams and nowhere has this issue been more pertinent than in the world of cricket where venues may play host to only a couple of dozen days every summer. When, like Edgbaston, you are desperate to retain the right to host one of the most iconic events in the sporting calendar, the focus becomes even sharper.

This summer the Birmingham ground will once again play host to the Australians in what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the season but looking to the long term, there are a number pretenders around the country who are pulling out all the stops to attract international cricket away from the traditional stalwarts of the game.

But taking nothing for granted, Warwickshire is making good progress on the £30million redevelopment of the ground and the recent Broadway Malyan designs for a new stand that will increase capacity by 4,000 and upgrade player and spectator facilities while also providing new corporate hospitality and banqueting rooms, have been well received during the recent consultation process. The aim for the club – which is already growing its reputation as a venue for things like Asian weddings – is to become a 52-week a year venue hosting major conferences with a permanent business centre.

And again Giles is significantly involved in the process. “Primarily we want this to be