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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 7, 2014 9:56:18 GMT
Perhaps, a contentious decision but I hope posters, both old and new, will allow me to continue my spouting of
risible nonsense and occasional insight into the wonderful and whacky world of the sport we all love.
Meanwhile, I heard one of the best marketing ideas from a county cricket CEO for awhile yesterday. And that CEO
is our own Zac Toumazi.
His aim: Allow every boy and girl living in Sussex free admission to a home Championship game this season. Now
that's what I call dynamic marketing.
Bring on Sundays.
PS: Presently, tickets cost £5 for a junior.
PPS: Received a glossy flyer through my Hove letterbox today advertising the 'T20 Blast' matches. The club's
marketing drive is truly underway. I learnt today the ECB are matching the money that each county are
spending locally to promote the 'Blast' tournament.
Pity they won't do that with my weekly drinks bill!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 8, 2014 16:08:26 GMT
I was astonished to learn that the UK T20 audiences last season surpassed 550,000 which is a similar figure to the runaway success of the Aussie Big Bash. Wow! And so convinced that this season's friday evenings T20 will be a smash hit, the ECB are predicting higher attendance numbers again with improved figures year on year leading up to 2017 when the schedule will be reviewed. One problem: We need a hot summer! Having just completed an article on the subject, one must say, this enthusiasm has even rubbed off on me and I truly believe the ECB have finally, yes finally, found the right format and scheduling. Hallelujah! www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnxmkOAj88 |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 11, 2014 11:45:31 GMT
Walking around the Hove ground this morning, one wonders if Sunday Championship is working. Yes, there is a winter chill in the air but there are less people in the ground than the mid-week. As for attracting the youngsters, I saw just one under the age of 16 watching the game. ONE! Where the youngest people are playing on the pitch.
While there are anecdotal stories of higher sunday attendances around the country, Sussex supporters seem oblivious to the format change. Agreed the sunday against Somerset was good but so was the Monday.
How can this present championship format survive in 20 years when many attending today would have passed over with few younger people to replace them?
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Post by hhsussex on May 11, 2014 12:12:20 GMT
Walking around the Hove ground this morning, one wonders if Sunday Championship is working. Yes, there is a winter chill in the air but there are less people in the ground than the mid-week. As for attracting the youngsters, I saw just one under the age of 16 watching the game. ONE! Where the youngest people are playing on the pitch. While there are anecdotal stories of higher sunday attendances around the country, Sussex supporters seem oblivious to the format change. Agreed the sunday against Somerset was good but so was the Monday. How can this present championship format survive in 20 years when many attending today would have passed over with few younger people to replace them? Hardly surprising that in an area which, apart from central Brighton and Hove, has few public transport services operating even partially on a Sunday, attendances will be very poor, particularly when the weather is less than perfect. If you don't drive then all the factors of weekend rail disruptions, taxis to the station, one bus every two hours etc, all combine to make it a less than enchanting prospect - and this from what is laughingly referred to by the council as "The Heart of Mid Sussex". I doubt it will last beyond the 3 years of the ECB's plan, but I am concerned that if the Mickey Mouse Bash doesn't bring in the money they expect then it will be very difficult to sustain such an elaborate structure for any form of the game, other than Tests and a few corporately-funded beanos around a loose structure of one-day semi-pro league games. I do hope for those spectating that your lifespan assessment isn't based on any actuarial calculations? |
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Post by leedsgull on May 11, 2014 12:58:47 GMT
I would have gone to Headingley today but was put off by the weather forecast,annoyingly completely wrong as I write in bright sunshine! However there were also no bus services available as they have been cancelled to allow a charity ½ marathon to take part in the surrounding area. Why these people can't run in the park escapes me.
I know of a lot of Yorkshire members who are giving the Sunday starts a miss due to the poor public transport on offer.As we know a majority of Championship spectators are retired/elderly. These are the people who often depend on public transport.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 11, 2014 12:59:25 GMT
I gather the Club are disappointed with today's attendance given Durham are the Championship trophy holders. Several have suggested today's football may be a factor given Brighton are playing this afternoon at Derby and it is the last day of the Premiership but all that is happening later this afternoon.
Anyway, a very disappointing small crowd.
As for the future, fewer Championship games where it becomes a knock-out tournament, perhaps? Otherwise, clubs like Sussex may have more media, stewards and staff watching than those in the crowd.
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Post by hhsussex on May 11, 2014 13:16:11 GMT
I gather the Club are disappointed with today's attendance given Durham are the Championship trophy holders. Several have suggested today's football may be a factor given Brighton are playing this afternoon at Derby and it is the last day of the Premiership but all that is happening later this afternoon. Anyway, a very disappointing small crowd. As for the future, fewer Championship games where it becomes a knock-out tournament, perhaps? Otherwise, clubs like Sussex may have more media, stewards and staff watching than those in the crowd. Here's a suggestion for the Club to offset some of that disappointment: On Sundays only, allow Members to take in one guest free to all games, not just at Hove. That might encourage existing members to split the costs of travel with a friend and perhaps win a potential new member through that limited discount. It is hardly likely to dilute existing revenues and the additional catering and merchandising spend would justify it on the day, let alone the opportunity of longer-term loyalty. Perhaps also a voucher at the gate giving a £5 discount from later days attendance in the same fixture for those paying their £15 on the day. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 12, 2014 12:05:37 GMT
hhs,
An excellent idea.
It appears the new Sunday Championship format is not working. The BBC radio commentator,
Lizzie Ammon, says she has been to 6 different grounds this season and noted no noticeable
difference in crowd numbers on a Sunday to other days of the week.
Sadly, as much as I love watching the Championship, the present format may become a dead
duck in 10 years. If you don't get the youngsters interested, then you're screwed. I'd hoped Sunday
would attract the younger generation but there is no sign of this. There is a view that when the
'T20 Blast' begins on Friday, this may have a positive knock-on effect for Championship attendances.
Interestingly, the recent Ashes in Australia, had a huge impact on the BBL viewing numbers.
My concern is, Sussex are focussing an important part of their ECB £1m finances on marketing the
Championship and attracting new Members. Given so few young people are interested in this format,
you are concentrating on a much older audience where age and lifespan becomes an issue.
Is it not better to focus that money on the younger generations? They are the future of our wonderful
game. The Sussex initiative of inviting county schools to a home Championship match - free of
charge - is an excellent start.
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Post by carisbrooke on May 13, 2014 19:58:41 GMT
I was put off going on Sunday by diabolical public transport (bus from Portsmouth to Littlehampton to get a train from there) and a weather forecast which was overly pessimistic. The trains were also mucked up for the Somerset Sunday.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 16, 2014 14:06:41 GMT
Here's a thought. As Yohan Blake says he wants to join Yorkshire as an all-rounder after retiring from athletics, will Usain Bolt follow suit? A nifty seamer and a massive box-office draw, why doesn't Sussex make enquiries. Imagine the number of people who would turn up for a Championship game if they knew Bolt was playing. He may even give Lewis a run for his money. And the weather will be a lot warmer than the moors of Yorkshire. So, counties have their solution to putting 'bums on seats' during a damp tuesday morning. Sign up celebrities who can play a bit.  www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/27436776www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9vDIXFEY5s |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 20, 2014 15:23:15 GMT
If you would like to follow the exclusive MB twitter, here it is. twitter.com/SxInnerCircleMostly retweets of glowing praise of the club. And why not in a negative world. Better than a series of insults. One regular is former club CEO, Dave Brooks, whom I had a Twitter conversation with during the Warwickshire match. He ticked me off for criticising Zaidi. One wonders how the inner circle will react if the match-fixing scandal sh*t truly hits the fan. Should we not start up a Sussex outercircle twitter page for balance? PS: Delighted to see that the number of daily unique readers is already up to similar levels from the old MB, thanks mainly to guests. Who's going to be the lucky 100th unofficial Member? Perhaps, they should be awarded a prize. |
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Post by flashblade on May 20, 2014 15:44:45 GMT
I find this rather odd. Just about every member of the inner circle has consistently maintained the fiction that THERE IS NO INNER CIRCLE. Now that's what I call being in denial. Re alleged match fixing - if I was the inner circle's spin doctor (heaven forbid!), I'd maintain that all the culprits have been seen off the premises, and therefore there is no stain on the club's name. Oh, hang on, if we saw them off the premises, why didn't we report them? Hmmn, I 'll need to think about this. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 20, 2014 15:50:10 GMT
Perhaps, our wonderful new moderator, ketmandid aka umpire1 (?) (3 hip hip hoorays), could set up a "Sussex CCC OuterCircle" Twitter page. |
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Post by flashblade on May 20, 2014 15:54:23 GMT
Perhaps, our wonderful new moderator, ketmandid aka umpire1 (?) (3 hip hip hoorays), could set up a "Sussex CCC OuterCircle" Twitter page. Judging by the contents of the inner circle version, I'm not sure it would be worth the effort! |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2014 18:24:55 GMT
Perhaps, our wonderful new moderator, ketmandid aka umpire1 (?) (3 hip hip hoorays), could set up a "Sussex CCC OuterCircle" Twitter page. Judging by the contents of the inner circle version, I'm not sure it would be worth the effort! Good luck to the Inner Circle. Let's not criticise them because in retrospect the division into two message boards is the best thing that could have happened from everyone's point of view. We now have one board of splendidly jolly types who can cheer without question everything Good Ol' Sussex By The Sea does for right or wrong and one board of inquisitive, questioning types who can freely debate the many challenges facing the modern game without the risk of us irritating each other. The unquestioning loyalty to the infallibility of the brand by one board is admirable, but the objectivity and diversity of this board is equally laudable. Perhaps it is a shame that the two groups could not have co-habited, but ultimatelty the 'two states solution' gives everyone what they want. Now if only Amjad Khan could persuade Netanyahu of the same thing. (Although I seem to recall he got some ferocious criticism from the Inner Circle on the old message board for his humanitarian support of the Palestinian people - which kind of shows why two messageboards are better than one...) |
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