Steve Rhodes has stressed the importance to Worcestershire's future of securing the best of the club's talent on long term contracts and insisted: "We don't want to be forever rebuilding."
Rhodes has helped devise a three-pronged plan aimed at ultimately bringing trophy glory back to New Road – and keeping hold of the County's most talented players is crucial to that goal.
Eight players have put pen to paper on new deals in Joe Clarke, Ed Barnard, Joe Leach, Tom Fell, Ross Whiteley, Charlie Morris, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Brett D'Oliveira during the past two months.
It is in sharp contrast to the exodus of half a dozen players at the end of the 2009 season.
Director of Cricket Rhodes said: "Part of the plan is 1) to develop players, bring them onto professional level 2) recognise the best ones and look after them and make sure we are not losing them and 3) add to it when we can with quality cricketers.
"That is ultimately, the three-pronged plan and trying to keep hold of what we perceive as our better players is part two.
"It is worth pointing out to supporters and members that if you bring them on and lose them you are forever rebuilding.
"We don't want to be forever rebuilding. We want to be making sure that the lower end of the conveyor belt we keep developing players.
"But we don't want to be a team that is forever just growing and not achieving anything.
"The whole idea of the longer contracts at the present stage for these young lads is we will get some payment back in maybe three years time and start to get some trophies and that ultimately is what we want to try and achieve."
Rhodes is determined Worcestershire will not be regarded as a nursery club for other counties.
He said: "If we keep resigning them on longer deals, that won't be the case and that is one of our goals.
"It is a bit of a gamble. We accept that. We are taking a punt on players and hope they will keep progressing.
"We will get some right, we will get some wrong but ultimately I think that what we are trying to do is the right thing."
