Lancashire Cricket reveals record profits

Lancashire Cricket has announced a record operating profit of £4.7m for a non-Ashes year, for the twelve months ended 31st December 2024.

The club reported a turnover of £34.1m and a surplus before taxation of £0.2m for the year.

Income from international and domestic cricket was lower in 2024 compared to the previous year, which featured an Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Two major matches in 2024, an Australia IT20 and the Roses T20, were affected by poor weather and subsequently rained off. Despite this, 55,000 spectators attended the Sri Lanka Test Match in August.

The club sold 57,148 tickets for the Vitality Blast, including a Roses sell out, whilst Lancashire had 7,483 Members in 2024. Memberships have increased to over 9,000 in 2025.

Construction started in 2024 on Lancashire Cricket’s second ground in Farington, a collaboration with Lancashire County Council, which is set to open in 2026.

Emirates Old Trafford’s hotel, conference, and events revenues continued to grow in 2024, increasing by 19% compared to 2023. The on-site Hilton Garden Inn operated for its first full year with 250 bedrooms, with hotel revenue exceeding international cricket revenue for the first time. The venue also hosted three nights of concerts in June 2024, featuring Foo Fighters and Green Day, attracting 150,000 concertgoers.

In February 2025, Lancashire Cricket announced exclusive negotiations with the RP-Sanjiv Goenka (RPSG) Group, who have agreed to acquire a 70% stake in Manchester Originals. The Club has also agreed to sell 21% of its gifted 51% stake from the ECB to the RPSG Group.

Looking ahead, Emirates Old Trafford is set to host a strong international summer in 2025, including a Men’s Test Match between England and India, a Men’s IT20 between England and South Africa, and the return of international women’s cricket as England take on India in a Women’s IT20.

Angela Lowes, Chief Financial Officer at Lancashire Cricket, said, “Following another incredibly busy twelve months at Lancashire Cricket and Emirates Old Trafford, I would like to place on record my thanks to all our staff for their hard work and dedication in delivering a wide range of events – both cricket and non-cricket – helping to ensure we were well equipped to handle the challenges that came our way. “The Annual Report for 2024 shows very strong revenue from our non-cricket events, including the first full year of the on-site Hilton Garden Inn hotel operating at full capacity.

“This highlights the importance of a diversified business model – especially in a year when cricket revenue was impacted by factors beyond the club’s control. “The weather disruptions to the Men’s IT20 and Roses T20 significantly affected our cricket income, while, as anticipated, the Men’s Test against Sri Lanka drew less interest compared to the high-profile Men’s Ashes Test in 2023. “With the anticipated completion of the investment from the RPSG Group this summer, we can look forward to an exciting future. The investment will help secure the long-term stability of Lancashire Cricket, allowing us to reduce debt to a sustainable level and invest further into the cricket department, member facilities, and infrastructure projects at both Emirates Old Trafford and Farington.”