It is with great sadness that I am writing this email to advise that on Monday the 16th of March Kings Langley Cricket Club was closed with immediate effect for a minimum period of 4 weeks. This also includes any associated activities such as nets and training. This email has been slightly delayed to ensure that anyone with bookings in this period was notified first but ultimately we were left with no choice and following the week's developments, this will not come as any great surprise and it would seem likely that we will be closed for a longer period of time.
Whilst I am writing to you regarding the club itself, the first thing I want to do is address you all as members. Whilst the doors may be shut on the pavilion, we as a club are well and truly open to all members. As a club we have members of all generations, all of whom face a difficult and anxious period ahead. I just want to make it clear that no matter who you are; player, supporter, social member, parent or anyone with any association, we as a club will be here for you in anyway we can and I know that all members will support others. Please reach out at any time if you need any help or support in the coming months and we will ensure that we will do all we can to provide that, whatever it is. As a committee, we are in the process of reaching out to local community services to see if our facilities themselves can be of any use in the efforts to combat the virus and support those in need.
This is clearly a situation that none of us could have ever predicted and is a worrying time not just for us, but all sports clubs around the country as having to close doors will test many clubs resolve. As a committee we are both committed to and promise to do everything possible to make sure the club remains in a position to open again for everyone as soon as that time comes and can offer the same facilities as previously. We have already started to make decisions that will ensure the club's survival even if it has to remain closed long term and no cricket is played this summer which, as things stand, we can’t rule out. As I now understand, a June resumption looks to be the earliest we can start but sadly I fear this will be pushed back further yet.
Clearly financially for the club this is a worrying time and with the uncertainty of when we will be able to open doors again, never mind play cricket, it is hard to put any measure of the issues we could face going forward. As a club we are in a position whereby we can take a hit, and quite big one at that, however cutbacks have to be made due to the uncertainty we face as keeping this club alive for us all to enjoy again is what matters . With that in mind, I have to advise that we made a decision to postpone the net refurbishment a day after the works started. This was a tremendously hard thing to do given the length of time they had been discussed, the need for them and not to mention the fundraising and kind donations that had been made, however the clubs financial wellbeing is paramount right now. The money that would have had to have been outlaid along with regular expenditure and no income meant that us a committee were uncomfortable of guaranteeing the clubs future should this current situation be long term and wipe the season out and possibly beyond. I hope that despite there being some disappointment in this, you understand why we have done this. That being said, we as a committee remain 100% committed to completing the net refurbishment as soon as we are in a position to do so. When that will be is impossible to say in the current climate but as soon as the club is open and functioning again this is our main focus and this will be delivered.
One thing I do ask but in no way expect at all is that if anyone is in a position and happy to pay their membership subs for the coming season that will be of great help to the club and will be hugely appreciated. We fully appreciate that many members now face unexpected financial uncertainty of their own and of course we do not expect anyone to feel obligated to pay us money they simply cannot afford. We will, of course, work carefully with people as and when we are in a position to meet on on or near a cricket field again if there are challenges with memberships, match fees etc..
The club is on strong foundations and we will be back soon bigger and better than before. For now it is about staying fit and healthy and helping others and once this storm has blown over we can enjoy the club and all it offers again. We will of course keep you updated with any developments over the coming days, weeks and months.
We have been quiet on our Facebook Page this week until we could give all members this update first. However, we will use the platform to keep you updated with club news too, as well as doing our best to reach out with some fun and silliness to help raise a smile whilst the majority of us are self-isolating over the coming weeks.
Stay safe and stay healthy everyone and to reiterate the message from the start, do reach out if we can be of any support.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon when circumstances allow.
Kind regards,
Mark Brazier
Chairman - Kings Langley Cricket Club