Warwickshire County Cricket Club's Colin Povery has said that he does not want to alienate the traditional support after the decision was made to call the team taking part in the 2014 T20 Blast competition - The Birmingham Bears.
In a letter to one Warwickshire member, Povey wrote:
"The t20 format was not always to the liking of traditional fans from the outset. However many have come to appreciate it and it has been the biggest single driver of attendances for many counties for a number of years now. We currently average about 1200 members attending each day of Championship cricket but more like 1500 members attend each home t20 fixture so the format has obviously grown on even the most traditional fans.
"What is clear is that the domestic game as a whole must continue to attract more new fans if it is to genuinely prosper. In our case the t20 competition represents the single biggest commercial opportunity outside international cricket. We know that 70% of fans that attend our t20 fixtures live within a B postcode and we know that most attending fans travel between 20-45mins to come to a t20 game. The bulk of our fans in this competition are clearly therefore Brummies. Couple this with the strong support we have received from Birmingham City Council and the Club’s desire to further expand its appeal to a younger more multi-cultural fan base, we feel this is an acceptable next step. We wish to move with the times whilst not walking away from our heritage.
"The Bears has been synonymous with the team for many years and we will of course continue to play under the Warwickshire banner in the other two competitions.
"We do not wish to alienate our traditional supporters nor do we intend to ignore those fans who live further afield but we do feel the ECB’s re-launch of the competition and the Club’s re-naming of the team in this format of the game is an opportunity for us to engage with new audiences.
"I hope this explanation at least gives you an understanding of our rationale for the decision even if you are not entirely convinced of its merits."