Profit in Pizza

What started as a pilot programme in Surrey to encourage cricket clubs to cook on wood-fired ovens has now grown into a national campaign, supported by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) and the English Cricket Board (ECB)

Cooking on a DeliVita oven, Rowledge Cricket Club, at its peak last summer, was selling over 100 pizzas a week to its players, members and visitors, creating additional weekly revenues of over £1000, while also encouraging the local community to stay longer at the club and seeing bar takings rise.

In response to the success of the Rowledge pilot programme, the Clubhouse Project was launched this year by BBQ magazine in partnership with sports club CRM provider Teamo and supply chain partners such as DeliVita to encourage sports clubs to utilise wood or gas-fired ovens for cooking pizzas and other foods for members, guests and visitors.

The campaign, initially launched with the NCCA’s 20 counties and 2700 member clubs, has quickly captured the interest of many cricket clubs and committees across the UK. Richard Logan, operations director at the NCCA, said: ‘It’s a great community enterprise that engages all of the cricket clubs through the National Counties network while providing great commercial benefits as well as new food offerings.”

County member Oxfordshire has already offered more than 100 clubs the opportunity to apply for a grant under the ECB Welcoming Environments investment scheme for the ovens. At its annual development club evening, Leshia Hawkins, ECB managing director, Recreational Game, commended the Clubhouse Project, underlining the importance of creating innovative and inclusive initiatives for the wider local communities.