20 questions with Stewart Regan

Chris Waters: It's eight years since Yorkshire won a domestic trophy. Can that cycle be broken this year?

Stewart Regan: It would be nice to think so. With a new captain and a young squad it's going to be a challenge, but you never know. If we get a good start and build some momentum, there's no reason why we can't push for silverware.

CW: What would represent a successful season in your view?

SR: I'd like to see a satisfactory performance by a young squad with comments from cricket lovers, members, press, etc, that Yorkshire's players are giving it their all and putting in quality performances. We certainly don't want to be scrapping to avoid relegation in the Championship and it would be nice to progress to the latter stages of the one-day competitions.

CW: How would you describe Yorkshire's off-field position?

SR: It's tough. We're working hard behind the scenes to remain financially stable but cash-flow is very tight, partly because we're not bringing in income like we did during the Ashes year. We've already said we're going to have to tighten our belts for a couple of years and that's the reality.

CW: What's the biggest challenge facing the game at the moment?

SR: I think it's to generate sufficient revenue to enable debts that have been incurred by Test match grounds to be covered. I reckon some 200m is being invested into nine Test match grounds across the country, with more investment planned during the next two-to-three years. To cover that debt you need more international cricket and major matches than are available at present, so that needs addressing.

CW: The Twenty20 Cup has been expanded and the 40-over tournament revamped. Are you in favour?

SR: I'm certainly in favour of expanding the Twenty20 because research clearly shows it's what the fans – particularly families and children – want to see more of. What I'm not in favour of is a fixture schedule that crams all our fixtures into a very tight time-span, with start-times on different days – there's no regular appointment to view – plus a 40-over tournament that we, as a club, were not in favour of. We wanted to retain the 50-over competition to mirror the international format.

CW: Would Yorkshire ever consider a tie-up with an Indian Premier League franchise – a la Hampshire's alliance with Rajasthan Royals?

SR: We'd never say never. At this moment in time, all options have to be considered, simply because there's so much change in the game. The IPL has gone from nowhere to being the fourth-biggest league in any sport in terms of revenue generated and has great media value in terms of the amount of people watching on television. As a club, we have to be mindful of that and will be maintaining a watching brief.

CW: Has English cricket sold its soul to Twenty20?

SR: I think when you have a product that the customer wants to buy, the players want to play in, the broadcasters want to cover and the sponsors want to be associated with, it tells you there are a number of compelling reasons why Twenty20 needs to be embraced. What is important, however, is to strike the right balance. At the moment, there's far too much confusion and clutter in the game. The global market is saturated with things like an annual Twenty20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, the Champions League and myriads of one-day internationals. You can't squeeze a quart into a pint pot and something, at some point, will have to give.

CW: Would you welcome a reduction in the number of overseas/Kolpak players in county cricket?

SR: I think there's a role for a limited number of high-quality overseas internationals because if all you do is play against other up-and-coming young players from other counties, you'll never be tested against the best in the world. There's nothing quite like Adil Rashid playing against Shane Warne, for example, as he did a couple of years ago, and again it's all about finding the right balance.

CW: Will this be Jacques Rudolph's last season at Yorkshire due to changes in the Kolpak laws?

SR: It's up in the air, to be honest. Jacques is contracted until the end of the 2011 season but the England and Wales Cricket Board have the right to change the work permit regulations every year, so if they choose to change the criteria it could be Jacques is no longer eligible. We'll just have to see what happens.

CW: Was Yorkshire's bowling coach Steve Oldham right to criticise England's handling of Adil Rashid?

SR: Steve speaks from the heart and tells it how it is. In my opinion, his sentiments were spot on. Steve is concerned that Adil has gone on tour only to carry drinks trays and that he needs the time to hone his skills. Hopefully, everyone is now singing off the same hymn sheet with regards to Adil.

CW: With five coaches at Yorkshire and Michael Vaughan's appointment in an advisory capacity to new captain Andrew Gale, is there a danger of too many cooks spoiling the broth?

SR: We feel the structure we've got covers all bases and gives Martyn Moxon, the director of professional cricket, the best chance of delivering a successful cricket plan. We also think it will be beneficial for Andrew to learn from someone like Michael, who'll offer advice as and when required. Michael's not going to be getting involved in day-to-day matters and he probably won't be around the club that much at all.

CW: How are ticket sales going for the Pakistan/Australia Test at Headingley Carnegie?

SR: They're not as high as we would like but they're starting to pick up. We've got a number of special offers in place at the moment, giving fans who book by April 30 some fantastic deals including a pass for all five days of the Test for 95, a pass for all five days of the Test and for the one-day international between England and Pakistan for 125, and a chance to attend any three of the six days of international cricket at Headingley Carnegie this year for 70.

CW: Do you regret swapping your England/Bangladesh Test for the Pakistan/Australia fixture?

SR: Not at all. The Bangladesh game was not as attractive and it's a great coup to bring Australia back to Headingley Carnegie.

CW: What's your view of pink balls and the plans for day/night Tests?

SR: The pink ball option is certainly worth considering, but I think there are a lot of question marks over day/night Test cricket. The playing conditions need to be the same for both sides because if one team is playing under lights and the other one isn't, that could affect the game's outcome.

CW: You're strongly opposed to a reduction in County Championship games but is that inevitable?

SR: It's dangerous to tamper with the competition because it's a breeding ground for future internationals, but my gut feeling is that it could happen. I can't see where else the extra space in the calendar is going to be freed up from, but first of all there would need to be a consultation process with the counties.

CW: When will the new Carnegie pavilion be open?

SR: The plan is for it to be up-and-running for the Yorkshire/Warwickshire Twenty20 game on July 4.

CW: Are you happy with the pavilion's design?

SR: I'm absolutely delighted. We've achieved our target of creating an iconic building and it's great news for the club and also the city.

CW: When will the Rugby Stand be rebuilt?

SR: That's on the back-burner at the moment. We're focusing on paying down the debt incurred on building the pavilion.

CW: Any plans for permanent floodlights at Headingley Carnegie?

SR: I'd like permanent floodlights because it positions us in the leading pack of international grounds. However, there's no pressing imperative and it's something for the future.

CW: This will be your fifth season as chief executive. Are you still enjoying it?

SR: I love it. The landscape of the game is changing all the time. We haven't yet had the success on the field I would have liked, but we've made progress financially and also in terms of developing youngsters. It's a great honour and privilege to work for the club.