It’s Australian sports version of talking about the weather and sometimes they intertwine with each other – talking about the crowd.
Crowd talk was all the rage during the first Test between Australia and New Zealand.
“Where is the crowd?”
“How many people will be in the crowd?”
“Why is the crowd so small?”
“Wouldn’t the crowd look better at the WACA?”
Perth isn’t the only city so far this Summer to cop a dose of crowd talk during the Test matches – Brisbane and Adelaide copped plenty of discussion about the crowds.
Day 1 is complete of Perth’s first day/night Test match. 19,081 fans in attendance at Optus Stadium which is the biggest crowd for an Australia v New Zealand Test in Perth. Get all the details on our website!#AUSvNZ #cricket #perth #wa #perthstadium #op… https://t.co/I1kSeyNRi8 pic.twitter.com/5mDN3e5ESL
— Austadiums 🇦🇺🏟 (@austadiums) December 12, 2019
Australia, in particular, is obsessed with playing as much mainstream sport as possible in big multi-purpose stadiums that have big capacities.
While we do benefit from great modern facilities and a chance for more people to come – it’s not actually the norm when it comes to Test Cricket venues.
Manly venues around the world only hold around 10-20,000 and have a more intimate atmosphere and are purely Cricket venues compared to Australia’s multi-purpose big stadium strategy.
All our venues have their charm but there’s also another factor that people forget to take in whenever a Test is held.
1 – the Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth tend to start while most people are at work. Day/Night Tests have proven popular in those cities allowing people to come in a bit late
2 – Gone are the days of local TV just showing the last session of the Test in the home state. When you’re competing against a comfy couch, a fridge full of ice-cold tins and a big HD TV – I know where I’d rather be.
3- It’s bloody expensive. Sure, Cricket Australia will claim to have affordable “General Admission” but it’s always in a crap, non-shaded area of the ground. Getting a ticket to the Cricket involves a complex category reserved seating structure that ensures that anyone who pays for a ticket in a decent area has to do so hand over fist. Open the ground up, make the majority GA, let it be $20 to get in and people will happily buy beers and pies (Not Chicken Sandwiches in Perth). Also, bring back free admission after the tea break.
There won’t be much crowd talk during the upcoming Tests in Melbourne or Sydney, because it’s held while most people are on holiday so it’s pretty simple as to why people turn up.
But if you want to get people coming to Test Cricket, make it cheaper, easier and much more accessible. It’s not that hard.
https://twitter.com/willochris/status/1206140628465147905?s=20
The Profit Prophet is all over the one place you’d rather be this Monday, Kempsey.
He’s pinning his best luck with Lucitor each-way in Race 4
“Lucitor hasn’t been seen at the races since July but showed decent ability last time in and looks well placed to break his maiden first-up at Kempsey. The four-year-old son of Lucas Cranach placed in three races in succession last in and ran into a couple of horses who progressed into city races. He’s trialled well and looks ready to go.”
The Profit Prophet has the perfect elixir to cure the punter's Monday blues, prescribing a dose of value packed tips across the card at the Kempsey!
— Neds (@NedsAus) December 15, 2019