‘Very much now or never’ – why Sussex CCC want to make most of 2026 season
Head coach Paul Farbrace believes it is “very much now or never” as his Sussex CCC squad prepare to begin their campaign under the shadow of financial issues.
The county reported an operating loss of £1.33m in their 2024-25 accounts, which has led to ECB intervention and points deductions in all three of their 2026 competitions.
The resignation of chairman John Filby and several other board members have come since, with a group of ex-players and sponsors leading calls for the whole board to resign.
Speaking at the club’s pre-season media day, Farbrace said: “In a way, it is very much now or never. That’s been my selling point to the players.
"This is our year to really do something special, because there is no guarantee come the end of the season that we will have the squad that we’ve got or the coaching staff that we’ve got.”
Since the press day, Farbrace himself has said he will step down as head coach at the end of this season. That may just give him and his squad an extra edge in their bid to do well this summer.
Sussex have been hit with a 12-point deduction in the County Championship, as well as one-point deductions for both the One-Day Cup and T20 Blast.
The club are also facing a £100,000 suspended fine and strict limits on player salary costs for the next three years.
Despite the county’s challenging winter and disrupted off-season, Farbrace still wants his side to put in solid performances on the pitch with their Division 1 championship campaign starting on Good Friday.
“We’ve got a squad that we think is capable of challenging and this could be our last year together to actually do something about it,” he said.
Farbrace explained that the county had endeavoured to reduce the impact on his players ahead of the summer.
“We’ve managed to keep everything exactly as it is,” he stated. “Mark West, our chief exec, has been really keen that the players should not see any difference for this summer.
“We don’t want to give the players any excuses. They will be disappointed and probably went through a stage of being angry about the points deductions, but now it’s a case of let’s pull together and use that as a motivator.”
Looking beyond the 2026 season though, Farbrace did acknowledge last week the uncertainty around both his own future and that of the county.
Sussex will be looking forward to getting their season up and running on Good Friday, when they visit newly promoted Leicestershire in Division 1 of the County Championship.
“It’s a shame Sussex cricket has been talked about in a negative vein for a few weeks, but I think you’ll hear and have heard from the group, that there’s a lot of excitement and a lot to look forward to on the field this year,” Farbrace concluded.