Cricket is new Yorkshire chief Arthur’s first love, says Graves

Yorkshire have turned to the former Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and Nottingham Forest CEO in a move that highlights their off-field ambition.

Arthur, who has more than 20 years’ experience in sports administration and who takes up his new role on Tuesday, has been brought in specifically to help boost the financial health of a club around £20m in debt.

The 54-year-old will take charge of a business that has been stabilised by chairman Graves and the board in recent years and one which Yorkshire are now determined to develop.

Graves, who will remain in charge of the club but have less day-to-day involvement following his recent appointment as deputy chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said Arthur had been recruited specifically to help achieve the following:

Keep Headingley at the forefront of international and county cricket;

Improve the club’s income streams;

Generate more sponsorship;

Work on finding a new naming rights partner for Headingley cricket ground;

Encourage closer links with the various communities and councils in the county.

Graves, who revealed that Yorkshire had more than 30 “very good” applicants for the post, with 10 people called in for interview, stressed that Arthur’s track record was key to his appointment.

He insisted that a man who began his sports administration career at the old Test and County Cricket Board in the early 1990s “ticked all the right boxes from a Yorkshire point of view”.

“Mark Arthur is the best man for the job, plain and simple,” said Graves, whose personal fortune bankrolls the county and provides them with security going forward.

“He has vast experience at the highest level of sports administration and is exactly what we need to drive the club onwards.

“The club warrants and deserves a high-profile person and Mark is someone who can come in straight away and hit the ground running. He’s exactly what we need at this moment in time to build on our existing stable business.”

Arthur left Nottingham Forest football club in January after 13 years at the City Ground helm.

Prior to that he had five years at Trent Bridge (three as sales and marketing manager, followed by two as CEO) and played a key role in driving forward such projects as the Radcliffe Road Stand, one of world cricket’s most impressive and well-known structures.

“Cricket has always been Mark’s first love,” added Graves.

“He knows the game, he is passionate about the game, and he is someone who will be very good with the members and interact with them well.

“Mark will help to drive the various income streams, which includes sponsorships and naming rights, and he will work closely with the local communities in Yorkshire to get them involved.

“He’ll basically be a hands-on figure, seven days a week, and he’ll have behind him an excellent team of staff at the club.”

Arthur, who will be officially presented to the media prior to Tuesday’s County Championship match at home to Somerset, said he was thrilled to be joining the club.

“I’m delighted to be joining Yorkshire County Cricket Club as chief executive,” he commented.

“It is an honour and a massive opportunity to be part of the biggest cricket club in the world, which boasts nearly 900 playing clubs and a vibrant development programme, which is the envy of world cricket.

“I will do everything during my time at Headingley for the betterment of Yorkshire cricket.

“The hard work has been undertaken over the last few years to stabilise the club and now we have a great opportunity and a solid platform to take the club forward.”

Yorkshire have been without a chief executive since 2010, when Stewart Regan left to take up a similar role at the Scottish Football Association.

Graves and the Yorkshire staff have done a splendid job since then, coming through some challenging times in the tough economic climate, and Arthur’s appointment will help to reduce some of the burden.

Although Yorkshire have appointed Arthur for his business acumen, Graves believes he is also a perfect fit personality-wise.

He said Arthur was exactly the sort of character who could help boost Yorkshire’s profile in a positive way.

“Mark’s whole demeanour, the way he handles himself, the way he deals with people is very impressive indeed,” added Graves.

“He is a very good man-manager and he knows how to treat people in the right way.

“I would describe him as a very sound and stable guy, someone who is extremely passionate about what he does and someone who is very committed to success.

“I couldn’t be more happy to have someone of Mark’s calibre on board.”