Northamptonshire Cricket Club seeks funds for restructure

Northamptonshire Cricket Club is seeking finance from a number of sources

A council is considering a loan of up to £250,000 to its county cricket club which needs to return its finance "to a sustainable position".

The cabinet at Northampton Borough Council is to discuss the loan on Wednesday 21 October.

Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is seeking finance for a restructure from several sources, it said.

The latest set of accounts for 2014 revealed it made a loss of £305,636 on a turnover of just over £3.7m.

The previous year the club posted a profit of £14,685 on a turnover of just over £3.4m

The council said a loan, to be repaid over five years, would be part of a wider package of measures in a changing business plan.

The authority would initially only loan the club up to £100,000, with an additional £150,000 available if more support is needed.

Mary Markham, the Conservative leader of the council, said: "We will look at providing financial support to help the club get back onto a stable footing.

"With over a century of tradition, the club is one of the oldest still playing in the County Championship, and a big part of life in Northampton.

"However, cricket is changing and that means the club must restructure off the pitch if they are to have a future on it."

Danielle Stone, leader of the council's Labour group, said it supported the loan, but that it needed to be closely monitored.