Big Bash Future

[TubbsFarquhar]

KFC Big Bash League Attendances.
BBL 01: 2011/12: 17,749 (550,220 for 31)
BBL 02: 2012/13: 14,379 (503,262 for 35)
BBL 03: 2013/14: 18,778 (657,227 for 35)
BBL 04: 2014/15: 23,590 (825,657 for 35)
BBL 05: 2015/16: 29,443 (1,030,495 for 35)
BBL 06: 2016/17: 30,114 (1,053,997 for 35)
BBL 07: 2017/18: 26,531 (1,140,835 for 43)
BBL 08: 2018/19: 20,552 (1,212,596 for 59)
BBL 09: 2019/20: 18,353 (1,119,541 for 61)
BBL 10: 2020/21: 8,856 (540,231 for 61)
BBL 11: 2021/22: 7,172 (437,472 for 61)

The last two seasons have been COVID-affected but, even so, we can see a steady decline from its peak in 2016-17. BBL is a classic case of less is more, and CA aren't getting that'll memo. Maybe they're putting the crowds down to COVID and are anticipating they will increase. They probably will, but still nowhere near the peak of 30K averages.

 

[Kingpin]

wow what a downfall! just goes to show more matches doesn't mean more fans.

I don't think the BBL can recover to where it once was unless we get a major restructure.

Yes even pre-Covid the numbers were starting to sag quite noticeably.
I well remember the days of not even being able to get a ticket to Bellerive to watch the Hurricanes play, they were that big ticket an item in Tasmania.
Went to a few games before Covid happened and the attendances were about half what they were a year or two earlier.
The level of promotion and excitement was nowhere near what it was either, only seems to have gone downhill even further since then.
It (the BBL) has genuine stench of death about it if I'm honest. Glorified club cricketers getting a trundle in what is supposed to be the big league hasn't helped at all nor has CA getting greedy and doubling the number of matches.
It's like being charged big dollars to watch the local Reserves comp and some shiny-arse in a suit telling you it's the AFL.
They're fooling nobody and crowd numbers reflect it.
Only Cricket Australia could manage to stuff things up to this level of incompetance.

 

[corbies]

The "glorified club cricketers" getting a game are at worst the 150th best cricketer in Australia. It's like saying anyone on an AFL list who is not in the best 8 players at a club is a glorified suburban footballer.

Again Australians only like cricket in very specific circumstances at a very specific time of year. Anything outside of that and it is dismissed.

 

[big_e]

Q: How do you know if someone doesn't like T20 cricket?

A: Don't worry, they'll tell you.

 

[swingdog]

I can see world cricket becoming like baseball.

One dominant nation where the big money is (US / India) and the rest of us having smaller domestic leagues acting as feeders (e.g. Japan / Australia).

 

[t_94]

The "glorified club cricketers" getting a game are at worst the 150th best cricketer in Australia. It's like saying anyone on an AFL list who is not in the best 8 players at a club is a glorified suburban footballer.

Again Australians only like cricket in very specific circumstances at a very specific time of year. Anything outside of that and it is dismissed.

How did Ryan Clarke go in his time trial?

 

[t_94]

Q: How do you know if someone doesn't like T20 cricket?

A: Don't worry, they'll tell you.

It doesn’t overly grab me but no issues by itself as I don’t watch it very much. However it is understandable that people who prefer tests/odis are concerned at the way T20 is going to essentially become the only form of cricket.

 

[corbies]

How did Ryan Clarke go in his time trial?

I've stopped following since this glorified park footballer played in the supposed big leagues. I don't really care that he plays a role in a team to win games, I only want 22 names that I recognise playing when I follow the sport each September. The AFL have stuffed up again by not changing the sport completely to suit my passing interest in it.

Not to mention the last time I went to a game they didn't have the right beer at the ground and therefore I couldn't give a stuff about them anymore.

 

[eddiesmith]

KFC Big Bash League Attendances.
BBL 01: 2011/12: 17,749 (550,220 for 31)
BBL 02: 2012/13: 14,379 (503,262 for 35)
BBL 03: 2013/14: 18,778 (657,227 for 35)
BBL 04: 2014/15: 23,590 (825,657 for 35)
BBL 05: 2015/16: 29,443 (1,030,495 for 35)
BBL 06: 2016/17: 30,114 (1,053,997 for 35)
BBL 07: 2017/18: 26,531 (1,140,835 for 43)
BBL 08: 2018/19: 20,552 (1,212,596 for 59)
BBL 09: 2019/20: 18,353 (1,119,541 for 61)
BBL 10: 2020/21: 8,856 (540,231 for 61)
BBL 11: 2021/22: 7,172 (437,472 for 61)

At the peak you had big names like Gayle and Pietersen

Now we’ve got players from county cricket and associate nations as internationals.

 

[gbatman]

I think it goes for too long. Shorten the season and for gods sake don't bring in any more teams. It's the competition that never ends. I think also there needs to be more international talent floating around the competition. More talent, more entertainers.

Promote it better. Cricket Australia appears to be out of touch in regards to advertising the game. It's hard because a lot of people don't watch free to air TV any more. I don't and I had no idea the ODI series was even on. Targeted ads on social media etc. Spotify. Commercial Radio. Billboards etc. Not just ads on Free to air tv.

Definitely go down the quality over quantity. Less games, higher quality players. Promote and advertise it well.

 

[SSwans2011]

It does feel like the season drags on a bit, but I think it's rich that people are simultaneously complaining about our World Cup performance and the length of the BBL.

The longer season means more experience for our future national team prospects, more opportunities for said prospects to impress potential international suitors, and generally more players getting a chance to establish themselves.

Each team plays 14 games in the IPL and T20 Blast in England. England obviously provides other limited overs opportunities in The Hundred.

If we went back to 8 matches per season, people would need to be prepared for Australia failing to make the World Cup finals becoming the norm.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Promote it better. Cricket Australia appears to be out of touch in regards to advertising the game. It's hard because a lot of people don't watch free to air TV any more. I don't and I had no idea the ODI series was even on. Targeted ads on social media etc. Spotify. Commercial Radio. Billboards etc. Not just ads on Free to air tv.

It wasn't promoted on free to air TV either

 

[The 747]

Textbook example of an organisation having a good thing and ruining it. Nobody cares anymore. Not on FTA, too long, trash standard.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Not on FTA

45 games on FTA.

Forty. Five.

That's ten games more than when the league was at its most popular. Let me say that again. Popular.

 

[Aussie_boy]

I’m expecting crowds to be even lower this year. Expecting a bit of a boom in A-League crowds and NBL seems to be fairly steady at the moment.

 

[PT Bar None]

Starts Tuesday the 13th of DEC.

Finishes Saturday the 4th of FEB.

(Note to self)

 

[HTPunter]

It seems like there is very little defense of the actual product put on.

The only defense made for BBL is facetious/sarcastic sooking about genuine criticisms.

 

[eltrain]

I’m expecting crowds to be even lower this year. Expecting a bit of a boom in A-League crowds and NBL seems to be fairly steady at the moment.

CA are fortunate that Football Australia have been so inept at managing the A-League for a few years.

Nevertheless, I don’t think there’s any stopping a big bump in A-League interest once the season resumes. BBL will have more eyeballs on TV due to FTA TV coverage on most nights over the next couple of months, but crowds/atmosphere will likely be eclipsed pretty comprehensively by the A League.

 

[cricketnut14]

down from 61 games to 43 after next summer.

moving in the right direction.

so 10 games each instead of the 14 - just means an uneven fixture.

top 2 to make the best of 3 finals series.

hopefully this opens up space for more meaningful cricket whether its international white ball stuff, an extra test afghanistan, ireland etc or even just our test players getting in a shield game or two.

 

[010203]

I liked the fair fixture that came with the 14 game season. Everybody played each other twice so there were no excuses for any team not good enough to make the finals. With a proper home and away fixture, no team benefited from a "soft" fixture to make the finals and no team would miss the finals on the back of a tough draw.

A ten game season is too small for me and we're going to have teams make or miss the finals potentially due to the strength of the teams they play twice.

If they absolutely had to go away from a fair fixture, go to a 12 game regular season which still gives you a decent amount of content.

 

[swingdog]

Does a fair fixture really matter?

It seems people watch it for the action - it's like popcorn. It doesn't have to have a meaning.

For CA, it's there to make money and if it can do that with fewer matches then all good.

 

[kranger]

KFC Big Bash League Attendances.
BBL 01: 2011/12: 17,749 (550,220 for 31)
BBL 02: 2012/13: 14,379 (503,262 for 35)
BBL 03: 2013/14: 18,778 (657,227 for 35)
BBL 04: 2014/15: 23,590 (825,657 for 35)
BBL 05: 2015/16: 29,443 (1,030,495 for 35)
BBL 06: 2016/17: 30,114 (1,053,997 for 35)
BBL 07: 2017/18: 26,531 (1,140,835 for 43)
BBL 08: 2018/19: 20,552 (1,212,596 for 59)
BBL 09: 2019/20: 18,353 (1,119,541 for 61)
BBL 10: 2020/21: 8,856 (540,231 for 61)
BBL 11: 2021/22: 7,172 (437,472 for 61)

I think something that people miss with these season average attendances, is that in 17/18, not only did the number of games increase, and average crowds started going down, but it was also when games started being played outside the states capital cities.

For instance if you remove the Alice Springs crowd of 3,906 from the Strikers season in 17/18, their average is larger than the year before.

In 17/18 there were 4 games outside the capitals. In 18/19 there were 10, including 1 in Moe.

In 19/20 the Alice Springs crowd of 1,057 hurts the Hurricane season average.

So yes, more home games may have diluted attendances a bit, but more regional games have been hurting crowd averages too.

 

[Yoda_]

At the peak you had big names like Gayle and Pietersen

Now we’ve got players from county cricket and associate nations as internationals.

this, so much this


India stops there international schedule to allow the IPL to go ahead with all of there international Indian players to participate. Cricket Australia &/or the players association wouldn't have that here in Australia

 

[giggler99]

this, so much this


India stops there international schedule to allow the IPL to go ahead with all of there international Indian players to participate. Cricket Australia &/or the players association wouldn't have that here in Australia

If that is to happen here the competition will need to be played in either November or February which isn't ideal. India can afford to stop for their competition being Cricket is played all year round over their. Its much difficult to do that here with just a 3 or 4 month window.

I would prefer the competition to go back to being state based. It will be shorter and feel much more organic. Nobody will miss any current BBL team.

 

[Yoda_]

If that is to happen here the competition will need to be played in either November or February which isn't ideal. India can afford to stop for their competition being Cricket is played all year round over their. Its much difficult to do that here with just a 3 or 4 month window.

I would prefer the competition to go back to being state based. It will be shorter and feel much more organic. Nobody will miss any current BBL team.

This is a big reason why this won't ever happen here in Australia.