Tradition or Viewing Numbers?

[vic_orthdox]

I still think you have to take the game to the different states, because Australia's so big that it's a massive committment to head to another state to watch a game of cricket, so it's not as though people can still go to the game if it isn't in their home state, unlike England or smaller (speaking physically) countries. Also, the most important marketing and promotional tool Cricket Australia has is the cricket itself, and if you don't take it to all the states, then you're not marketing the sport and you lose interest from the next generation.

 

[James]

I still think you have to take the game to the different states, because Australia's so big that it's a massive committment to head to another state to watch a game of cricket, so it's not as though people can still go to the game if it isn't in their home state, unlike England or smaller (speaking physically) countries. Also, the most important marketing and promotional tool Cricket Australia has is the cricket itself, and if you don't take it to all the states, then you're not marketing the sport and you lose interest from the next generation.

I'm not saying remove the WACA as a test venue completely, just for the five biggest Tests of all time, take them to the biggest venues.

Transport these days is good enough and cheap enough to travel between states I'm sure.

The WACA gets enough ODIs and warm-up matches which is enough. You might even get a fullhouse down in Australia for the warm-up game between England and Western Australia wouldn't you?

 

[GotSpin]

So you would have Western Australia miss out on of the most anticipated series for many many years? Way to get the kiddies interested

 

[James]

So you would have Western Australia miss out on of the most anticipated series for many many years? Way to get the kiddies interested

Yes, and besides one series isn't going to make or break a kids interest.

I remember reading that more kids in Australia were signing up to play cricket after the last Ashes series in England and that wasn't even played in Australia (obviously!).

 

[GotSpin]

Yes, and besides one series isn't going to make or break a kids interest.

I remember reading that more kids in Australia were signing up to play cricket after the last Ashes series in England and that wasn't even played in Australia (obviously!).

Then think what would happen when the series is played here. By having the series played in the traditional grounds and states, a media circus is created with added exposure all over Australia. The interest in WA will decrease if the test was moved, just like interest in Sydney wasn't that high for the commonwealth games, because guess what, it wasn't in NSW.

 

[James]

WA is small potatoes when compared to the rest of Australia anyway isn't it?

WA get a warm-up match and a few ODIs in the VB Series which is more than enough. The size of their stadium reduces what they should get as far as I'm concerned. If they want big sporting events, they should invest in a better stadium.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Didn't the WACA recently get a downsize in its crowd capacity?

 

[GotSpin]

WA is small potatoes when compared to the rest of Australia anyway isn't it?

WA get a warm-up match and a few ODIs in the VB Series which is more than enough. The size of their stadium reduces what they should get as far as I'm concerned. If they want big sporting events, they should invest in a better stadium.

True, they need a bigger stadium but it doesn't exactly sell out this quickly every summer. If you choose to ignore a whole state do it at your own peril, especially for such a big series.

 

[archie mac]

That's not tradition, it's history. Merely doing something isn't really carrying on a tradition.
In any case, I'd support more matches at the larger grounds now that it seems that the pitches seem to be largely similar in all of the grounds. If the situation was that Perth was still the quickest and bounciest then I wouldn't want a Test match moved from there, but now that there is no difference playing on a Perth pitch vs a Sydney pitch, I can't see any reason not to hold more matches at higher capacity venues.

I think you are hair splitting tbh, tradition as I understand it is the handing down of or continuing of.

Why else would they call it the Ashes tradition?

 

[James]

True, they need a bigger stadium but it doesn't exactly sell out this quickly every summer. If you choose to ignore a whole state do it at your own peril, especially for such a big series.

Yes, but for the Ashes I would make the exception.

It's a good thing I'll never have a say in cricketing schedules, etc then isn't it

 

[GotSpin]

Yes, but for the Ashes I would make the exception.

It's a good thing I'll never have a say in cricketing schedules, etc then isn't it

Yep. you would expect this site to be swamped with hate mail if you were

 

[GIMH]

The Ashes are always sold out in England but they don't take a Test off Lords and move it to Wembley.

:Good luck moving anything to Wembley though Archie! Maybe the 2021 Ashes, possibly.....

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Thing is, if the WACA is expanded just for this series then it becomes a white elephant until the next Ashes.

 

[Dasa]

Thing is, if the WACA is expanded just for this series then it becomes a white elephant until the next Ashes.

Use Subiaco as a one-off for the Ashes to fit more people in.

 

[superkingdave]

The Ashes isn't an ICC tournament that they run, and obviously England have to host the series, and they don't have the choice but to host games at stadiums that have capacities of around 15,000.

It's different with Australia where they have quality sporting stadiums that have large capacities.

With big international tournaments like the Cricket World Cup, you need stadiums that can handle the demand. England don't have this. Until England have a cricket stadium that can host 60,000+ I would decline any bid they make for an ICC event. Look at the 10 Test playing nations, almost all have at least one "large" stadium that has a capacity of 60,000+.

Re the Gabba, they have a capacity of 43,000 which I think is fine for one out of five Tests but below 30,000 as in the WACA's case and almost the Adelaide Oval's case, I don't think is fair due to demand for tickets.

The tradition story is just plain rubbish IMO. If we went down that route in everything we did, we'd still be going round in a horse and cart. The Sydney Cricket Ground has got it right IMO, in that they're continuing to increase the capacity in everyway they can but keeping the old parts in.

Money talks, not stadium capacity, I'm sure if the ICC was going to get a lot less money from a WC in England they wouldn't bother. Fact is that attendances are not the main factor any more its tv deals and besides a crowd of 30,000 at Lords would probably bring as much money as 50,000 elsewhere given higher ticket prices over here.

AFAIK, WI, Zim, SA, SL and Bangladesh do not have cricket stadiums of 60,000, and IIRC Eden Park is only 48,000, so that leaves, Aus, India, Pakistan in rotation...

 

[James]

Money talks, not stadium capacity, I'm sure if the ICC was going to get a lot less money from a WC in England they wouldn't bother. Fact is that attendances are not the main factor any more its tv deals and besides a crowd of 30,000 at Lords would probably bring as much money as 50,000 elsewhere given higher ticket prices over here.

AFAIK, WI, Zim, SA, SL and Bangladesh do not have cricket stadiums of 60,000, and IIRC Eden Park is only 48,000, so that leaves, Aus, India, Pakistan in rotation...

Fair point re the tv deals, corporates, etc. It certainly plays a huge part, as us kiwis heard via our bid for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

I thought SA and the WI did, but I appear to be incorrect there. Eden Park is however being upgraded to a capacity of 65,000.

 

[James]

Thing is, if the WACA is expanded just for this series then it becomes a white elephant until the next Ashes.

Are they putting temporary seating in for the Test?

 

[LongHopCassidy]

I doubt it.

 

[James90]

Any of the five venues missing an Ashes test would be a huge mistake. Enough of the sport is dictated by money already.

 

[Dasa]

Any of the five venues missing an Ashes test would be a huge mistake. Enough of the sport is dictated by money already.

A change as James is suggesting would be more useful for the fans than the administrators. The vast majority of money in cricket is made through television broadcasting, not gate receipts. Moving Tests to larger capacity venues would just allow more fans to see the matches at the ground.