Interesting article in the Herald Sun yesterday. Seems like a regional Brisbane Heat game at Metricon this time next year is likely as soft expansion takes place over the next few years. They'll have to play it a bit earlier so it doesn't disturb the Comm Games upgrade at the stadium but that is mentioned in the article below. Then the GC's main competition for a future BBL franchise is apparently Canberra and Townsville, according to this article. As long as the city packs out Metricon when the Heat play their BBL regional game on the GC then I'd like to think the Gold Coast is best placed for the next BBL expansion franchise. An upgraded Metricon and the new training and admin facilities right next to the stadium would easily put the city ahead of just about every other city in Australia that doesn't already have a BBL team.
Cricket Australia looking to cash in on Big Bash boom by expanding competition
Cricket Australia looking to cash in on Big Bash boom by expanding competition
CRICKET Australia looks set to flood next summer’s calendar with more Big Bash League games in the first move towards expanding the booming tournament.
And the timeline for introducing new franchises has been brought forward — although the competition will remain at eight clubs for at least the next two years.
A rise in BBL matches around next summer’s inaugural pink-ball Ashes series could deliver Cricket Australia its most hyped season ever.
The BBL kicked off with the sold out Sydney Smash and heads to Etihad Stadium when Melbourne Renegades host champion Sydney Thunder.
Club heavyweights campaigned for a spike in games last year, but Cricket Australia retained the 32-game season plus three-match finals series for BBL06.
Both Melbourne franchises pushed for an increase with Stars chief executive Clint Cooper calling for a full home-and-away fixture of 14 games this summer.
The Stars and Gades have both broken membership records as they close in on 10,000 paid-up supporters and aim to top the record 80,883 at last summer’s MCG derby.
Since BBL02 clubs have played eight group games — fixtured against every club once and their arch rival twice.
The double-ups allows for both Melbourne and Sydney clubs to host derbies.
More games next season could see Twenty20 cricket taken to regional venues and possibly include a historic Christmas Day blockbuster.
Cricket Australia launched “Project Jingle Bash” to fast-track plans for a Christmas match, although that appears unlikely to materialise next season.
BBL boss Anthony Everard told the Herald Sun the competition had evolved beyond the “start-up” phase.
“We feel as if the BBL is entering a different stage now,” Everard said.
“We’ve been in start-up stage for the first few years (and) we felt the fifth season was a year the league really matured.
“I think it’s unlikely you’ll see more clubs in the immediate future, certainly for the next two years we’re not looking at new clubs.
“But there are a whole lot of expansion options with the existing clubs available to us.
“We haven’t settled on a final outcome, but it’s likely you’ll hear more in the New Year.”
In January Everard said: “We would love to see new BBL clubs … but that’s not on the radar in the next five years”.
Everard said the BBL was not cannibalising Test cricket, pointing out that last summer drew a record attendance across all formats in Australia.
The BBL averaged more than one million television viewers per night last season and Everard said the focus this summer was on replicating that success.
“It really has become the viewing habit for all Australians. It’s beach by day, BBL by night,” he said.
“The majority of our games are not sold out, so there’s still plenty of capacity in the venues themselves and that’ll really be the focus this year.”
Cricket Australia took practice matches to the Sunshine Coast and Albury this month and scheduled a warm-up Melbourne derby in Geelong last summer.
A regional franchise appears likely to be the next included with Canberra, Gold Coast and Townsville believed to be near the top of CA’s wishlist.
The governing body is excited about the growth of its women’s league, which gives “an extra dimension” and boosts the total T20 fixture to about 100 games.
Extra matches would likely bring forward the start of the BBL season and increase the number of double-headers to retain the tournament in the school holidays.