But that says more about Perth’s lack of interest in tests than anything else. Their crowds have been an issue for a long time and they rarely filled the WACA for tests and BTW I do accept that the quality of the WACA facilities turned people away in its last few tests
Of course the AFL wanted the new stadium - they’re always looking for opportunities for expansion. But it’s hard to understand why the WACA wanted it. Maybe their eyes were bigger than their stomachs.
And as for this talk about “indigenous cricket culture” - what “indigenous cricket culture” ? Or to put it another way : name me five indigenous test cricketers from anywhere in Australia, not just WA. Name me even one, apart from Jason Gillespie. (And his indigenous background wasn’t generally known until he’d gained his reputation.)
Historically, cricket in Australia has not opened up to indigenous talent. Even the great Eddie Gilbert was denied the Test matches he so richly deserved. Richie Benaud used to say that he knew a couple of test cricketers who were aboriginal, but hid that fact for fear of losing their places.
You don’t build a 60,000 capacity stadium in the hope of attracting aboriginal cricketers. The WACA was the place for doing that.
The small size of the crowd was pathetic. The WACA authorities need to be held to account for it.
Whatever…you’ve clearly got a chip about this and I can’t be bothered arguing with you any further.
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No banners this summer - "the removal of the banner (in Perth) was in line with Cricket Australia’s terms and conditions of entry, which applies to all ticket holders and says, among a range of other conditions, that patrons “will not: wear or otherwise display commercial, political, religious or offensive signage or logos”.
But the ACB is happy for people to look like complete fuuck-wits by wearing a KFC bucket on their heads.
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Jeesus…I’ve read some crap in this thread but this really goes to the top of the list (or should that be bottom?)
Scott Boland
Brendan Doggett
Ash Gardner
D’Arcy Short
Josh Lalor
Dan Christian
Ash Barty (yes she played cricket)
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Anyone listen to The Grade Cricketer podcasts? I feel I should like them more than I actually do.
Scott Boland and Ash Gardner are Test cricketers.
None of the other five that you named is.
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Barring any late injuries we will be playing the same XI on Boxing Day
My problem with the pitch was the variable bounce on day three and four - Yes, usually as pitch evolves over 5 days the bounce will get a bit lower, but on this pitch there were too many occasions when the ball was jumping off the pich - I expect the pitch to get an average rating at best.
So WACA have an extra $2m a year to promote the event and grow attendences. Which will then bring more income. Easy to see why they go with Perth stadium going forwards.
Maybe… he could try playing short balls off the back foot. All about the Perth pile-on, but let’s maintain some semblance of reality.
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It’s that and not getting his head inside the line of the ball. You can see that ball has hit the right side of his head. That tells you he’s not inside the line. If he’d have got himself outside off-stump a bit more, that ball then passes over his left shoulder and he doesn’t get struck.
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Also didn’t Steve Waugh hit Viv Richards in the head bowling 120kph once?
from The Age about expected cricket revenue between the different grounds…
Boxing Day, new year’s blockbusters locked in
December 19, 2023 | Age, The/The Sunday Age (Melbourne, Australia)
Author/Byline: Daniel Brettig |
Projected figures show Perth is expected to bring in millions of dollars less than Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide over the next five years in a blow to its bid to host the pre-Christmas Test every year.
Combined projected revenue of $60 million for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests, shared exclusively with this masthead, mean the MCG and SCG fixtures are locked in for the foreseeable future, as Cricket Australia continues discussions about its schedule over the next seven years.
But Perth’s projected revenue is $10 million less than Adelaide in third, as South Australia and Western Australia continue a fierce battle to secure the Test match slot that was awarded to Perth this year, only to be played in front of smaller crowds than organisers hoped for.
Three sources with knowledge of discussions between Cricket Australia and the state associations, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing, provided figures for Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth with this masthead.
Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test and Sydney’s New Year’s Test are the two most lucrative matches on the annual calendar, expected to rake in around $32 million and $27 million respectively over the next five years.
The Adelaide Test, which has become a highly successful “destination match” for eastern states tourists since the oval was redeveloped a decade ago, and is often played as a day/night fixture, is projected to collect gate and corporate box receipts worth more than $20 million over that time.
But Perth, or the “West Test”, is projected to bring in just $11 million over the same period.
WA’s argument for the Test match slot that Adelaide also wants is largely driven by the size of Perth Stadium. First open for a Test match in December 2018, the stadium is primarily designed for AFL fixtures, but also possesses a lively pitch that gives the national men’s team a decided advantage.
With a cricket capacity of around 55,000 the stadium has been packed for numerous Perth Scorchers games, but far fewer have turned up for Tests. An Ashes match is yet to be played at the ground.
Outgoing WACA CEO Christina Matthews said before the Test that she would like to “see between 20 and 25,000 on each of the first three days”.
“If we don’t get that, it’s not the end of the world, it just demonstrates how far we’ve got to go.”
There were 16,259 in the stands on day one, 17,666 on day two, 15,956 on day three and 9244 on day four.
Two senior broadcast sources, speaking to this masthead on condition of anonymity in order to talk freely, stated that the main priority for Foxtel and Seven was to play matches at venues that were full to capacity - after the fashion of the Ashes Tests recently played in England - even if they provide smaller crowds overall.
For CA, Perth is seen as the biggest potential place of revenue upside for the game. But there is also an argument to be made that more can be done to fill Adelaide Oval or the SCG beyond their current revenue levels.
Adelaide would have brought Cricket Australia an additional $10 million under the projected figures had the governing body agreed to extend a deal with Adelaide Oval’s Stadium Management Authority that was first struck in 2014. It featured the payment of a fee of almost $2 million per year in return for preferential scheduling in and around mid-December each year.
But the deal expired this year and the just-completed Perth Test was scheduled for mid-December.
Adelaide was initially going to be shunted to late January against the West Indies but that fixture changed to mid-January after lobbying by the South Australian Cricket Association and the state’s Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Brisbane was awarded the second Test against the West Indies around the January 26 weekend.
The Gabba is soon to be rebuilt ahead of the 2032 Olympics, with uncertainty around how the new venue will look. There is concern among some senior cricket figures that the rebuild will create another vast concrete bowl of similar dimensions to Perth Stadium, without the inclusion of a hill or open air views that are so suited for cricket in Adelaide.
CA did not deny the veracity of the projection figures when asked by this masthead, but confirmed that the bidding process for future Test matches was ongoing. An outcome is expected early in the new year.
“Australian cricket has a proven track record of building and delivering mutually beneficial partnerships that deliver significant economic and social benefits for governments,” a spokesperson said.
“Cricket Australia is working collaboratively with all state and territory governments to provide long-term certainty of international cricket hosting rights to maximise benefits for local communities and the game.”
CRICKET AUSTRALIA GATE REVENUE, FIVE-YEAR PROJECTIONS
Melbourne $32 million
Sydney $27 million
Adelaide $21 million*
Perth $11 million
*Cricket Australia was paid $1.8 million per year in return for preferential scheduling of the Adelaide Test under an agreement with Adelaide Oval from 2014-22.
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Rodney Hogg tells a story of hitting Sir Viv flush in the head with a bouncer (no helmet worn) at the MCG back in the mid-80s. Viv did nothing, just stood there chewing his gum. Next ball Hogg goes upstairs again, Viv puts him 20 rows back. Again, simply stood there chewing his gum. Hogg said it was the most intimidated he’d felt on a cricket field and not a word was said to him!
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I would have thought that all Foxtel and Seven are worried about is paying CA the least amount possible to retain the tv rights. Maybe there is a clause in their contracts where gate takings offset what amount they have to pay for the tv rights.
sounds like you’re keen to join my “get mbas out of sport” movement
attendance at high profile sporting events in perth doesn’t hold the same “social event” status that it does in sydney, melbourne and adelaide. that kind of status has been built over generations and for waca or ca or whoever to think they could replicate it in 3 summers is boneheadedly arrogant and very very stupid
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“main” priority - i don’t buy that for a second. the perth test gets them a prime time audience on the east coast. no other tests get them that.
correlation is not causation anyway. events with higher attendances draw higher tv audiences because guess what - people want to fkng watch the event regardless of how they do it.
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I have but two memories of attending cricket as a kid: Viv hitting an insanely big hook, and the crowd being recorded for the Phar Lap movie (the PL chant).
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