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CSA worried about crowd attendance...

jboss

Banned
Kust read an article on sports24.co.za CSA is apparently worried about low crowd attendance and I could not be happier. I saw this coming months ago when the IPL was in SA and I think there are a couple of underlying issues here.

1) Over exposure of poor cricket.

The IPL personally bored me to death and was a bit too much cricket for the season. It also hits you in the pocket.

2) Ticket prices

I speak for a lot of South Africans who can not afford the small fortune it costs for prime international games.

CSA are in charge of this. This point is very valid as the next two points I make will further make case for the prices being charged.

3) Most South African die hard cricket lovers are sick of behind the scene alliance of Boucher Smith and Arthur. Mark Boucher is according to most should have been dropped long ago due to his inability to score runs. Whats more is that a lot of people felt that AB was telling the selectors to do by not taking the gloves. Now to a SA fan you probably dont mind how much money it costs to see the best SA team and MANY feel that this is not the best SA team.

We could have a batting line up of
1)Smith
2)Elgar/Some other new batsman
3)Amla
4)Dumminy
5)Prince
6)Kallis
7)AB
8)bowler
9)bowler
10)bowler
11)bowler

That looks good but will never happen because AB is not a team player.

The last point (point4) is that think the public are sick of the quota system and this one is my beef with CSA. Seeing top quality players in the other team because of quota system is bound to p off some people.

Just thought I would share my thoughts behind why this could be so that people here dont think the SA crowd are being funny.
 

Protean

State Regular
Eh? The last time we had an international match at Newlands I had to sit on the grass because all the seats were sold out, and not even under the Oaks. Got in early this time, luckily, because it's sold out again AFAIK.

Should give us a Pro20, we have the best weather for it this time of year but they always seem to go to Centurion and the Wanderers.
 

jboss

Banned
Eh? The last time we had an international match at Newlands I had to sit on the grass because all the seats were sold out, and not even under the Oaks. Got in early this time, luckily, because it's sold out again AFAIK.

Should give us a Pro20, we have the best weather for it this time of year but they always seem to go to Centurion and the Wanderers.
i am not making thsi up and you are welcome to go see for yourself at sports24.co.za if you had not already noticed the poor crowds at the T20 this weekend. Something is up with SA crowd and not only is it because of over exposure this last year but alsi because some people are getting tired of the CSA policies.
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
i am not making thsi up and you are welcome to go see for yourself at sports24.co.za if you had not already noticed the poor crowds at the T20 this weekend. Something is up with SA crowd and not only is it because of over exposure this last year but alsi because some people are getting tired of the CSA policies.
"So why aren't you going to the T20 on the weekend?"

"Those damn CSA policies, had enough of them."

Seems unlikely. Ticket prices the more likely suspect, m'thinks.
 

jboss

Banned
"So why aren't you going to the T20 on the weekend?"

"Those damn CSA policies, had enough of them."

Seems unlikely. Ticket prices the more likely suspect, m'thinks.
No I live in cape Town but I wanted to attend the upcoming ODI and way to expensive on South African income especially when i think to myself I am paying to see a weakened SA team vs a strengthened England team due to racist quota policies. I am also one of those that are sick of mciky mouse, smith and Boucher triangle. Last year AB dictated to the selectors about his role in the team and we had to leave a player like Prince out of the Aus tests.

There is no difference amongst what SA fans expect to that what fans elswhere expect. We wish to pay to see the best our country has to offer. Many factors make this impossible.
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
No I live in cape Town but I wanted to attend the upcoming ODI and way to expensive on South African income especially when i think to myself I am paying to see a weakened SA team vs a strengthened England team due to racist quota policies. I am also one of those that are sick of mciky mouse, smith and Boucher triangle. Last year AB dictated to the selectors about his role in the team and we had to leave a player like Prince out of the Aus tests.

There is no difference amongst what SA fans expect to that what fans elswhere expect. We wish to pay to see the best our country has to offer. Many factors make this impossible.
Yeah but AB's results as non-keeper speak for themselves, really. Why would anyone mess with that when he's a pretty average 'keeper and a world-class batter without the gloves?
 

Matt79

Hall of Fame Member
People aren't going to the cricket because they're upset that Boucher's still in the team? :huh:
 

Protean

State Regular
i am not making thsi up and you are welcome to go see for yourself at sports24.co.za if you had not already noticed the poor crowds at the T20 this weekend. Something is up with SA crowd and not only is it because of over exposure this last year but alsi because some people are getting tired of the CSA policies.
I did read the article. Most people who go to Pro20's are not going purely for cricket, they are going for the entertainment, and that makes me doubt it's the policies and politics that are stopping them. Personally I don't find the prices exorbitantly high either, especially compared to ticket prices overseas.

Not saying there isn't a problem, just not entirely sure if your points are the reasons behind it.
 

Matt79

Hall of Fame Member
The poor crowds for the IPL weren't really surprising, anymore than the poor crowds to matchs featuring two non-Indian clubs in the World Club Championship or whatever its called. No local team to support nearly always equals a poor attendance.

The poor attendance at the domestic 20/20 matches might indicate what some of us have been predicting for a couple of years - after the novelty wears off, the goodly proportion of the casual fans that were being courted might get bored and move on.
 

0RI0N

State 12th Man
With all due respect OP and don't take this the wrong way but GTFO.
'small fortune'...
ticket prices are cheap compared to Eng and Aus.
Test ticket prices at the NCG are cheap,R80 or so
compared to what £90 for a days cricket at the Oval.
Oh and thought you not attending any SA vs Eng Matches as stated in your 1st thread On this website.
Stop being a cheapo Gloomy Gus and buy a R80 ticket FFS.
No flame post mods.
 

Matt79

Hall of Fame Member
Glad you clarified at the commencement of that post that you were saying this with all due respect ;)
 

popepouri

State Vice-Captain
Eh? The last time we had an international match at Newlands I had to sit on the grass because all the seats were sold out, and not even under the Oaks. Got in early this time, luckily, because it's sold out again AFAIK.

Should give us a Pro20, we have the best weather for it this time of year but they always seem to go to Centurion and the Wanderers.
It was the same thing where people were complaining about the poor turnout during the Pak ODI series in 2002. I went to the PE game and there was 18 000 people there which is almost a full house.

The CSA needs to stop painting with broad strokes.
 
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jboss

Banned
People aren't going to the cricket because they're upset that Boucher's still in the team? :huh:
I cant speak for everyone but there has been since last summer, a growing resntment at a team that appears more and more to not be picked on merit.
 

Oscillatingmind

U19 Cricketer
I cant speak for everyone but there has been since last summer, a growing resntment at a team that appears more and more to not be picked on merit.
I'd be annoyed to tbh, given there seems to be other prospects out there, young prospects. I'm not familiar with his keeping or batting, but simply on average and age, surely most other countries would be pushing Heino Kuhn in over Boucher.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
3) Most South African die hard cricket lovers are sick of behind the scene alliance of Boucher Smith and Arthur. Mark Boucher is according to most should have been dropped long ago due to his inability to score runs. Whats more is that a lot of people felt that AB was telling the selectors to do by not taking the gloves. Now to a SA fan you probably dont mind how much money it costs to see the best SA team and MANY feel that this is not the best SA team.
AB's probably been the best Test batsman over the last 18 months to 2 years, why the hell would you want to shunt him down to 7 and make him take the gloves?
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Ye dont see why Boucher should be dropped. But even so Kuhn is a good back-up if their is worries about him - not reason to burden AB with the gloves.
 

jboss

Banned
Ye dont see why Boucher should be dropped. But even so Kuhn is a good back-up if their is worries about him - not reason to burden AB with the gloves.
It is not about dropping the one player. The issue here is that a team that is not picked on meritt becomes obvious to fans and other players. These other players will go play club cricket in th UK and become ENG players after four years. When Quotas are not enough then a biased team selection will push more of our players abroad.

i wonder if Kieswatter(spelling) went abroad thinking there was no chance of making the SA squad because he could see what was brewing? Anyway we won't go down this route.

The route I do wish to travel down is what is the ICC going to do about this? CSA and their policies will kill the intrest in the game in SA as the fans will after a while no doubt become ever more annoyed at SA packed full strength teams face their understrength SA team because of things like quotas.
 

zaremba

Cricketer Of The Year
AB's probably been the best Test batsman over the last 18 months to 2 years, why the hell would you want to shunt him down to 7 and make him take the gloves?
AB is also an unbelievably good fielder. So by making him keep wicket, you'd be weakening the wicketkeeping, weakening the team's fielding and jeopardising the batting of your premier batsman. Seems like a pretty ropey idea all round imho.
 

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
It is not about dropping the one player. The issue here is that a team that is not picked on meritt becomes obvious to fans and other players. These other players will go play club cricket in th UK and become ENG players after four years. When Quotas are not enough then a biased team selection will push more of our players abroad.

i wonder if Kieswatter(spelling) went abroad thinking there was no chance of making the SA squad because he could see what was brewing? Anyway we won't go down this route.

The route I do wish to travel down is what is the ICC going to do about this? CSA and their policies will kill the intrest in the game in SA as the fans will after a while no doubt become ever more annoyed at SA packed full strength teams face their understrength SA team because of things like quotas.
Dunno if you're talking about selection at test level or franchise level. If the former, I'm surprised to read that the test side has been significantly, if at all, affected by quotas in recent years.
 

Matt79

Hall of Fame Member
Well, they might have had Pietersen and Trott to somehow try and shoe-horn into that batting line up if they hadn't decided to leave because they felt they had no chance of a fair shake in SA cricket.
 

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