Post by Wicked Cricket on Aug 30, 2018 13:52:47 GMT
The T20 Finals Day Ticket Allocation Farce: What Caused It and What Lies Behind the Headline?
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Has the ECB and County Cricket supporter ever been at such odds with each other where acrimony and angst between them seems to be at an all time high?
After all the furore of the proposed ‘100 Ball Tournament’ which has caused a huge rift between the ruling body and their grassroots cricket support, the ECB now create even more derision with their handling of the increasingly popular T20 Finals Day at Edgbaston (this year on September 15th), where supporters of each of the four attending counties in the semi-final have been allocated just 500 tickets each. Yes… just 500, where Sussex sold their allocation within 20 minutes of the tickets going up for sale.
Edgbaston - a ground capacity of close to 25,000
The background to this farce is interesting to follow. First mooted by Lizzie Ammon in The Times at the weekend, when I first read her scoop I refused to believe it. How could the ECB even consider giving out a paltry 2,000 tickets to true cricket fans when the ground host, Edgbaston, has a capacity of 25,000.
The story begins back in December when Edgbaston’s Head of marketing, Arnes Pobric, published an article on Warwickshire’s website warning of the huge demand for tickets. He writes, “2017 saw a record ever attendance at T20 Finals Day (around 24,400), over 1,000 runs scored, a classic singalong between Bumble and Freddie, an unbelievable atmosphere with Notts Outlaws being crowned T20 champions.
“T20 Blast Finals Day has firmly established itself as one of Britain’s biggest sporting days out with four teams, three matches, two finalists and one winner. It's the festivity you don’t want to miss and the party you just need to be on the list for.”
The emphasis was to buy the tickets as early as possible. The problem being, unless you are the world’s most gifted psychic, how do you know that your team will be there? There is even one rumour flying around that Hampshire supporters after their recent consistent success in reaching the Finals were buying up tickets like there was no tomorrow. Look what happened to their team this season!
Arnes Pobric continues, “Next year, Finals Day is set to sell-out in record time as ticket sales are up by a massive 147% compared to last year. Demand has been bigger than ever before with almost 10,000 tickets already allocated. Tickets are continuing to sell at a rapid pace so we would urge our fans to purchase now to avoid disappointment.”
So, by December close to half the allocation had already sold AND at a cheaper price of £46, than the £76 supporters had to pay this week. A question. Will all those who bought their tickets in advance, now be able to sell them for £30 profit to the supporters whose actual team will be attending? Already, some are up for sale online for as much as £150. But there is also another side to this story. As the T20 Blast continues to grow in popularity, so pressure on Edgbaston to free up more tickets for Corporate business increases.
Pobric writes in December, “There is limited availability on Hospitality packages with over a 1,000 covers already sold, and a record demand with Executive Boxes, Old Player's Dining Room, Marstons' Suite and Wyatt Boxes already all SOLD OUT. We do have very limited availability in our Warwickshire Suite which offers luxury hospitality in our exclusive and premium shared restaurant.”
And the cost of these hospitality tickets? They “begin” at £239 per person + VAT.
Notts - Last Year's Winner of the T20 Trophy
So, a combination of greed, increasing demand and lax ruling by both the ECB and Edgbaston has allowed just 2,000 tickets to be allocated to the true supporters of the four teams involved; at £30 more than they were a few months ago. And what happens to all those tickets bought by supporters almost a year in advance, whose team never reached the Finals Day? Presumably, some will attend but for the others? Oh yes, sell each ticket for £150 online and make a tidy profit of £104!
Yet, this farce and a lesson on how to ‘do over’ your grass root support doesn’t end there.
I love my team and hold a growing respect for the Club particularly since Rob Andrew was appointed CEO; but what are you thinking when you then charge £15 a head to your Sussex supporter to watch Finals Day live on a screen erected in the Boundary Rooms. Surely, this should be FREE as a way of thanking fans for their loyalty during the more recent lean years. Certainly, no-more than £5. So, why are you charging £15? Back in 2012 the cost was FREE. This mercenary attitude only rubs salt in the wound and can create bad blood between supporters and the Club.
It seems avarice is everywhere. It is growing at an alarming rate like some out of control festering carbuncle along with all its appalling side-effects like corruption, vested interests and no care for anyone else but yourself. The county cricket supporter has been ‘done up like a kipper’, my grandmother would say, and never a truer phrase could be used to describe this years T20 Finals Day.
__________________________________________________________________________
Has the ECB and County Cricket supporter ever been at such odds with each other where acrimony and angst between them seems to be at an all time high?
After all the furore of the proposed ‘100 Ball Tournament’ which has caused a huge rift between the ruling body and their grassroots cricket support, the ECB now create even more derision with their handling of the increasingly popular T20 Finals Day at Edgbaston (this year on September 15th), where supporters of each of the four attending counties in the semi-final have been allocated just 500 tickets each. Yes… just 500, where Sussex sold their allocation within 20 minutes of the tickets going up for sale.
Edgbaston - a ground capacity of close to 25,000
The background to this farce is interesting to follow. First mooted by Lizzie Ammon in The Times at the weekend, when I first read her scoop I refused to believe it. How could the ECB even consider giving out a paltry 2,000 tickets to true cricket fans when the ground host, Edgbaston, has a capacity of 25,000.
The story begins back in December when Edgbaston’s Head of marketing, Arnes Pobric, published an article on Warwickshire’s website warning of the huge demand for tickets. He writes, “2017 saw a record ever attendance at T20 Finals Day (around 24,400), over 1,000 runs scored, a classic singalong between Bumble and Freddie, an unbelievable atmosphere with Notts Outlaws being crowned T20 champions.
“T20 Blast Finals Day has firmly established itself as one of Britain’s biggest sporting days out with four teams, three matches, two finalists and one winner. It's the festivity you don’t want to miss and the party you just need to be on the list for.”
The emphasis was to buy the tickets as early as possible. The problem being, unless you are the world’s most gifted psychic, how do you know that your team will be there? There is even one rumour flying around that Hampshire supporters after their recent consistent success in reaching the Finals were buying up tickets like there was no tomorrow. Look what happened to their team this season!
Arnes Pobric continues, “Next year, Finals Day is set to sell-out in record time as ticket sales are up by a massive 147% compared to last year. Demand has been bigger than ever before with almost 10,000 tickets already allocated. Tickets are continuing to sell at a rapid pace so we would urge our fans to purchase now to avoid disappointment.”
So, by December close to half the allocation had already sold AND at a cheaper price of £46, than the £76 supporters had to pay this week. A question. Will all those who bought their tickets in advance, now be able to sell them for £30 profit to the supporters whose actual team will be attending? Already, some are up for sale online for as much as £150. But there is also another side to this story. As the T20 Blast continues to grow in popularity, so pressure on Edgbaston to free up more tickets for Corporate business increases.
Pobric writes in December, “There is limited availability on Hospitality packages with over a 1,000 covers already sold, and a record demand with Executive Boxes, Old Player's Dining Room, Marstons' Suite and Wyatt Boxes already all SOLD OUT. We do have very limited availability in our Warwickshire Suite which offers luxury hospitality in our exclusive and premium shared restaurant.”
And the cost of these hospitality tickets? They “begin” at £239 per person + VAT.
Notts - Last Year's Winner of the T20 Trophy
So, a combination of greed, increasing demand and lax ruling by both the ECB and Edgbaston has allowed just 2,000 tickets to be allocated to the true supporters of the four teams involved; at £30 more than they were a few months ago. And what happens to all those tickets bought by supporters almost a year in advance, whose team never reached the Finals Day? Presumably, some will attend but for the others? Oh yes, sell each ticket for £150 online and make a tidy profit of £104!
Yet, this farce and a lesson on how to ‘do over’ your grass root support doesn’t end there.
I love my team and hold a growing respect for the Club particularly since Rob Andrew was appointed CEO; but what are you thinking when you then charge £15 a head to your Sussex supporter to watch Finals Day live on a screen erected in the Boundary Rooms. Surely, this should be FREE as a way of thanking fans for their loyalty during the more recent lean years. Certainly, no-more than £5. So, why are you charging £15? Back in 2012 the cost was FREE. This mercenary attitude only rubs salt in the wound and can create bad blood between supporters and the Club.
It seems avarice is everywhere. It is growing at an alarming rate like some out of control festering carbuncle along with all its appalling side-effects like corruption, vested interests and no care for anyone else but yourself. The county cricket supporter has been ‘done up like a kipper’, my grandmother would say, and never a truer phrase could be used to describe this years T20 Finals Day.