Kumar Sangakkara will be offered a one-year extension as President of the MCC
Wednesday 6 May 2020 17:40, UK
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Committee has written to its members to tell them there will be no full or partial refunds of their annual membership fees this year.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced a suspension of all cricket until at least July 1, with the start of the new Hundred tournament delayed until next year.
The MCC's 18,000 members pay annual fees of £500 a year, monies which CEO Guy Lavender has said were critical to the MCC's survival: "This was a hard decision to take," wrote Lavender in a statement to members.
"We have reduced expenditure across the board, but subscriptions are the bedrock of the club's finances, critical to ensuring we weather the current storm.
"Ultimately you own the Club and I hope that in that context you will be understanding of the position the Committee has felt it needed to take."
If no cricket is possible at all at Lord's this summer then the MCC stands to lose between £6m to £15m.
Lord's is due to host England Test matches against West Indies and Pakistan, and an ODI against Australia, as well as four of Middlesex's County Championship fixtures, as well as five T20 Blast group matches, all of which are in doubt due to the pandemic.
The loss of matches at Lord's is compounded by the fact the MCC are currently in the middle of a £54m reconstruction project involving the Compton and Edrich stands.
The MCC are hoping to cover around £15m of the cost of reconstruction by offering a new life membership scheme to existing members and also to non members.
The MCC have also confirmed former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara will be offered a one-year extension as president in the "extraordinary circumstances" resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
Sangakkara became the first non-British president of the MCC when he took over in October last year.
