Following this morning’s announcement from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that no cricket will be played until at least 1 July 2020, Warwickshire County Cricket Club can confirm that the stadium will remain closed to the public throughout this period to support its community response to COVID-19.
Neil Snowball, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: “There is collective disappointment across the game that the domestic, and now international, schedule will experience this forced delay as the country continues its course of action to manage the Coronavirus outbreak.
“The Club has played a full part in discussions with the England & Wales Cricket and the other 17 First Class Counties and we are all committed to delivering the best possible programme of fixtures for our Members and supporters.
“The health and well-being of our Members, supporters, delegates, players and staff will always remain our priority and we are continuing to work with our stakeholders in the game to bring cricket and our non-match day facilities back into operation as soon as it is safe to do so.
“In the meantime, we are reinforcing our commitment to the COVID-19 testing centre that we have in place at Edgbaston to support NHS staff and key workers and are working hard to deliver other community projects that can support those who have been affected in these unprecedented times.”
The below summarises how each part of the Club and venue will be operating during the stadium closure:
Warwickshire Members
We naturally share the disappointment of our Warwickshire Members that the 2020 domestic season will be further impacted by the Coronavirus crisis.
At present, with such a high level of uncertainty regarding exactly how much County Cricket may or may not be played this season, the Club has decided to defer any decision regarding membership refunds to the end of the season or until such point where we have clarity on how much County Cricket will be played.
We are actively working with the ECB and the 17 other First Class Counties to ensure that we collectively recognise the investment and support from all county Members and we remain committed to maximising any opportunity for both First Class and limited overs cricket to be played from July providing that it is safe to do so.
Our thanks go to our Members for their support and understanding at this difficult time and we will communicate any further details of the 2020 season once this information becomes available.
Our Membership team remain available for any queries in the meantime during the core hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday throughout this period on 0121 369 1994 (option 1) and on tickets@edgbaston.com.
Vitality Blast Season Pass and Ticket Purchasers
We are working closely with the ECB to develop a revised programme of Vitality Blast fixtures, which would see our matches rescheduled to later in the season providing that it is safe for cricket to return.
If you purchased a Season Pass and/or tickets to any of the Bears seven Vitality Blast fixtures at Edgbaston, you do not need to do anything at this stage.
We will contact all Bears ticket purchasers once details of a possible rescheduled programme are confirmed and your Season Pass and tickets will remain valid for the revised fixture(s).
However, if you are unable to attend the revised fixture (once announced) you will be able to swap your tickets for an alternative home game in the group stages of the Vitality Blast or obtain a full refund.
If due to COVID-19, the match is cancelled, the purchaser of the Season Pass or tickets will have an option to claim a refund of the value of the tickets directly to the original payment card used to make the purchase. Tickets purchased using alternative payment methods, or where the original payment card has expired, can be refunded with a cheque sent to the original ticket purchaser.
We thank all Bears supporters for their continued support and understanding at this time.
Our ticketing team remain available for any queries in the meantime during the core hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday throughout this period on 0121 369 1994 (option 1) and on tickets@edgbaston.com.
International and Major Match Tickets
If you purchased tickets to any day of England’s Test match versus West Indies at Edgbaston, on 12–16 June, you do not need to do anything at this stage.
We are working closely with the ECB and its partners to determine how best to reschedule this fixture in 2020 for when it is safe for cricket to return.
We will contact all ticket purchasers of England versus West Indies once details of a possible rescheduled date are confirmed and your tickets will remain valid for this game.
If, once a revised date has been announced, you find that you are unable to attend we will provide all details on the process for receiving a refund.
However, if due to COVID-19, the Test match is cancelled, the purchaser will have an option to claim a refund of the value of the tickets directly to the original payment card used to make the purchase. Tickets purchased using alternative payment methods, or where the original payment card has expired, can be refunded with a cheque sent to the original ticket purchaser.
If you have tickets for Vitality Blast Finals Day (5 September) and/or England’s One-Day International versus Ireland (12 September) please note that these major match days remain as scheduled in the 2020 season.
We thank all Members and supporters for their continued support and understanding at this time and our ticketing team remain available for any queries in the meantime during the core hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday throughout this period on 0121 369 1994 (option 1) and on tickets@edgbaston.com.
Hospitality
Similar to the process with ticket holders, if you purchased hospitality packages to any day of England’s Test match versus West Indies at Edgbaston, on 12 – 16 June or a Vitality Blast fixture in May or June 2020, you do not need to do anything at this stage.
We are working closely with the ECB and its partners to determine how best to reschedule these fixtures in 2020 for when it is safe for cricket to return.
Our hospitality partners Keith Prowse will contact all England versus West Indies and the Vitality Blast clients once details of a possible rescheduled date are confirmed, but your hospitality package will remain valid for the rescheduled game.
If, once a revised date has been announced, you find that you are unable to attend we will provide all details on the process for receiving a credit for an alternative match day hospitality package at Edgbaston or receiving a refund.
However, if due to COVID-19, the fixture is cancelled, the value of the package will be refunded or will be credited for an alternative fixture.
If you have booked a hospitality package for Vitality Blast Finals Day (5 September) and/or England’s One-Day International versus Ireland (12 September) please note that these major match days currently remain as scheduled in the 2020 season.
Warwickshire CCC and Keith Prowse thank all hospitality clients for their continued support and understanding at this time. The hospitality sales line remains open on 0121 369 1994 (option 4) Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and the team can also be emailed on hospitality@edgbaston.com.
The Hundred
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that the launch of The Hundred will now take place in summer 2021. The news follows a meeting dedicated to the subject, where the Board concluded it was not possible for the competition to be staged this year.
Please rest assured that a full refund will be issued directly for any tickets purchased for any Birmingham Phoenix men’s team game at Edgbaston. The Hundred team will be in contact with you directly over the next few days to let you know how the refund process will work.
All ticket buyers, and anyone signed up at thehundred.com will be the first to receive information about how to gain access to tickets for The Hundred in 2021.
If you have booked hospitality for any of the four Birmingham Phoenix men’s team home games, our hospitality team at Keith Prowse will give you call in the coming days to discuss the option of using a credit for a game in the future at Edgbaston.
The hospitality sales line remains open on 0121 369 1994 (option 4) Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and the team can also be emailed on hospitality@edgbaston.com, but do bear in mind that our team will be in touch with you direct.
Conferences & Events
Edgbaston’s conference and events facility will remain closed until at least 30 June in-keeping with the latest advice from the Government.
Clients who have upcoming bookings in place during this period have all been contacted and we are doing our utmost to accommodate their event on an alternative date later in the year once the stadium’s operations are back underway.
If you have any concerns or enquiries regarding an event beyond 1 July, please do contact the conference and events team between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 0121 369 1994 (option 3) or email events@edgbaston.com and a member of the team will respond.
Edgbaston Cricket Centre
We have been in contact with all clients who have bookings at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre and are again providing an option to postpone the booking to a date later in the year.
Please email cricketcentre@edgbaston.com if you have any immediate queries or concerns regarding a booking at the Edgbaston Cricket Centre.
Stadium Operations
Our security and maintenance teams will continue to be on-site at Edgbaston throughout the public closure to ensure that the venue can make a prompt return to daily operations as and when it is safe to do so.
