New Zealand Cricket chairman Sir John Anderson Photograph © CricInfo

New Zealand Cricket's financial performance came in slightly above budget with a surplus before grants of $2,598,518 last summer.

That was $68,000 above budget, a performance NZC chairman Sir John Anderson described as "a sound result."

However, when the grants of $4,339,489 to associations, including an extra one million dollars for the return to two full rounds of Shell Trophy play, were taken into account the net result for the year was a deficit of $1,740,971.

The annual report will be presented at NZC's annual meeting at the New Zealand Cricket Pavilion at Bert Sutcliffe Oval on September 14.

Anderson commented: "New Zealand Cricket's business is cyclical in nature, revolving equally around the commercial value of opposition teams touring New Zealand and revenue-sharing from World Cups.

"New Zealand Cricket is in a sound financial position, with significantly increased revenues in the next two years confirmed from tours to New Zealand by England this coming season, India in 2002/03, and the World Cup in South Africa in February 2003.

"This confirmed revenue will provide a solid base to allow New Zealand Cricket to continue with its mission to promote cricket nationally, provide appropriate national competitions and field competitive international sides," he said.

However, he attacked a prevailing attitude, especially in government circles, that leading sports such as cricket no longer require funding support due to their ability to attract significant television rights fees and sponsorships.

Anderson said: "This presents a serious concern for New Zealand Cricket as we recognise the business environment in which we operate is fragile and television rights income can vary significantly from year to year."

Anderson also recognised the performance of New Zealand's teams on the field of play.

"For the first time in our cricket history the New Zealand men's side celebrated the winning of a world title, lifting the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya during September.

"Three months later when captain of the CLEAR White Ferns, Emily Drumm, held aloft the prized CricInfo Women's World Cup after a tense final against Australia, both our international teams had achieved a historic result.

"These achievements by the players were the pinnacle of five years of dedicated effort to up-skill and significantly resource the elite level of both the men's and women's game," he said.

Cricket's place in the New Zealand sporting spectrum was confirmed as the country's No 2 sport, and the most popular summer sport by UMR Insight in its annual National Business Review-Compaq sports poll.

The poll showed 67% of people were either very interested or fairly interested in cricket, an increase of 13% on the last poll in 1998.

Anderson also said the website of New Zealand Cricket, nzcricket.co.nz had become the No 1 sports site in New Zealand over the past 12 months.

"The site, hosted by CricInfo, attracted more than seven million page views during December 2000 compared to 5.8 million the previous December. This no doubt reflected the popularity of the women's world cup.

"However, one of the biggest areas of growth on the site during the 2000/01 summer was in the live scoring of Shell Cup and Shell Trophy; again affirming that although fewer people are physically attending matches, cricket remains a passion with a huge number of New Zealanders," he said.

Anderson also praised the efforts of Christopher Doig, who resigned as Chief Executive during the year.

"The past five years have seen a period of unprecedented growth in the structures and business fortunes of New Zealand Cricket, building on the recommendations of the 1995 Hood Report.

"The resignation of Christopher Doig as Chief Executive, in February, provided an opportunity for the Board of NZC to take stock of the considerable progress made under his stewardship and to reaffirm the organisation's direction moving forward.

"Christopher Doig had signficantly grown the revenue streams. His skill in securing sponsorships and commercial contracts provided the platform to professionalise the delivery of a number of facets of the game," he said.

© CricInfo