NOMCO

It is difficult to believe how any Corporation endowed with what is probably the most valuable piece of real estate in the world situated at St John’s Wood, London, NW8 8QN could consistently be run at a loss making enterprise. Such is the distinction of the MCC that has every year since it was relieved of the government of English Cricket in 1969 had to rely on ever increasing Member Subscriptions, sales of Debentures and the periodic sales of Life Memberships.

The problem has been associated with the MCC Committee itself having the complete responsibility for the everyday management of Club affairs with a lack of the necessary “skillsets” deriving from the elected members. Naturally cricket celebrities have dominated Annual Committee Ballot outcomes – a result which a non-cricketing hierarchy considers to be unacceptable.

HISTORY

Since 1867 the Club Rules decreed the Committee would be dominated by an elected majority of Members. Custom and practice has since allowed the Committee to establish a number of specialist sub-committees which today are twelve in number. The principle reason for these sub-committees was to give the main Committee access to a number of different “skillsets” in various areas of importance to the Club. In addition the Club employs a team of professional staff headed by a Secretary and five Deputy Secretaries each with specialist knowledge. This ”team” embracing close to 200 personnel would be thought by most Members to be sufficient to govern a successful Corporation such as the MCC. Apparently not and so to the present day when it is decreed that the failure of governance can be resolved with the creation of “NOMCO” .