On Monday 20 March I had the exciting job of visiting the world famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottinghamshire to speak to Nottinghamshire Men’s Fast Bowler Luke Fletcher and coach Paul Franks, with one of the Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding in Sport Managers, Nicola Dean.
As a cricket fan living in Nottingham, it’s hard not to know the history of Trent Bridge, one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world, or about the success of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Nicola and I were interested to hear and see how culture, good or bad, plays its part in the success of one of England’s top sports clubs.
As you'll hear in the podcast, Nottinghamshire Cricket Club places a lot of emphasis on building a positive culture. As soon as Nicola and I stepped through the gates at Trent Bridge, you could feel and see that staff were happy in their work. The person working on the gate gave Nicola a brief history of the ground, and we could tell that he enjoyed coming to work.
This continued as Luke came to greet us with a box of new kit, excited about his new stash for the upcoming season. After 15 years, ‘Fletch’ could be forgiven for taking his stunning work surroundings for granted. But you can still see the excitement as he walked down the steps of the pavilion and took us out to the pitch. He stopped briefly to see how the ground staff were before talking us through what a good cricket pitch looks and feels like.
The impromptu tour continued to the kitchens, where Fletch and the chef had a light-hearted exchange about what was on the lunch menu for the upcoming pre-season friendly. We could sense a culture based on mutual respect, where everyone was comfortable and appeared happy in their work.
As we discuss in the podcast, a good culture means encouraging everyone to be the best version of themselves and to have fun in their work. But, if anyone sees, hears, or feels anything isn't right, they call out the poor practice early so that it doesn't become "the norm".
Thanks to Luke, Paul and Nottinghamshire Cricket Club for their wonderful welcome and openness to sharing with us what a safe culture means for them. Good luck for the season ahead!
- Stuart Sale, CEO, Ann Craft Trust
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.