YORKSHIRE'S new chief executive Stewart Regan is determined to exploit cricket's feel-good factor on the back of England's Ashes triumph last summer.

With Yorkshire gaining promotion to the first division of the Championship and buying their own ground for the first time, he feels that the club is perfectly placed to start capitalising financially from the last 12 months' achievements.

Regan, 41, who is managing director of the Football League Championship, met the cricket staff at Headingley Carnegie Stadium for the first time yesterday. He hopes to be able to take up his post by the start of the new season at Easter.

He joined the Championship two years' ago with the brief of improving its image and narrowing the gap with the Premiership. Last season he saw attendances for the second tier of English football soar to their highest level in over 50 years.

Now he wants to put "bums on seats" for Yorkshire.

He said: "With interest in cricket revitalised by England, the challenge for me is to build up the Yorkshire brand even further so that it appeals to a wider part of the population and is financially successful.

"Yorkshire is associated with greatness and I hope we can use the brand to build on the successes of past times.

"With the purchase of Headingley giving Yorkshire their first ground in 140 years and with Test cricket guaranteed there is an awful lot of positive news and we have to be able to build on it."

Regan said that Twenty-20 cricket was the perfect way to get youngsters introduced to the game.

"I am keen to ensure that we can attract the next generation of cricket players and fans, both of whom are crucial for the long-term survival of the game," he said.

As in football, it is essential to bring people in to cricket through the turnstiles and he would be targeting families but he also recognised the need to halt the slump which had occurred in Yorkshire membership.

Regan said: "Present chief executive Colin Graves has referred to 'Yorkshire's time of chaos' and it may be the membership has become disillusioned over the past couple of years.

"But all the positive news from the board will have given them some degree of comfort and they will see that Yorkshire are now on an upward curve and that the future is bright.

"I will consult, listen and understand what the members have to say and then see what action can be taken to boost membership."

Yorkshire chairman Robin Smith said that Regan had been chosen from more than 100 applicants.

Born in Crook, County Durham, Regan attended St John's Roman Catholic Comprehensive School at Bishop Auckland before going to Hull University, where he gained a degree in American Studies.

Updated: 11:48 Friday, January 13, 2006