Are cricket ticket prices good value for money? | sport

TTicket sales in the UK are booming, with more people than ever wanting to watch cricket live. In 2019, the number of national and international spectators exceeded three million for the first time since the ECB records began to increase by 18% compared to the previous record year of 2017. And although the World Cup has played a huge role in this area, the ripple effect has been felt throughout the professional, with an average attendance of matches of the group T20 Blast on the rise 15% compared to 2018 and 47% in the last five years.

And yet the figures published by the Cricket Supporters Association (CSA) last December revealed that only 45% of the 2,500 fans polled believed that cricket was good value for money compared to watching other sports live. We all know that people are under pressure with their disposable income, and ticket prices have to take this into account, says the chief executive officer of the CSA. Becky Fairlie-Clarke. As we look to the future prosperity of the game, it will be essential to ensure that cricket is as inclusive as possible.

How affordable are ticket prices? Nationally, the cost of membership to watch a county play in all three formats during the 2020 season starts at 149 (Leicestershire) and peaks at 304 (Sussex). Of course, non-match sites that do not receive regular revenue from the sale of international tickets but regularly sell T20 Blast devices are generally at the top of this scale.

Attracting new audiences is a priority for all countries and the T20 Blast has been a great vehicle to do this, with many clubs offering fantastic value for children and families in particular. According to Surrey President Richard Thompson, 50% of ticket buyers for Blast games at The Oval last summer were new to cricket, while kids' clubs were offered for a continuous fee. Be a great success. It has been a good marketing mantra for us for years, says Charlie Hodgson, managing director of The Ovals. And it's also the right thing to do.

Warwickshire has gone even further, with free entry for children on all T20 Blast devices in Edgbaston. It's expensive to do things with kids these days in the entertainment business, so we wanted to make sure we stood out from the crowd, says Alex Perkins, Warwickshires Sales Manager. We don't just want to chase after the pound when in fact the lifetime value of a supporter, especially a youngster who hopefully is going to be a Bears fan for life and come to Test matches and all the other matches we have here are huge for us as a club. Not just in terms of monetary value, but in terms of growing our fan base.

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Edgbaston also offers some of the most attractive ticket prices for international cricket in the UK. The CSA survey found that only 50% of fans are willing to pay more than 50 for an international ticket, this figure falling to 40% for the 16-24 age group. When tickets went on sale last October for this West Indian summer test at Edgbaston, 92% of tickets were under 50.

When we bid for international matches that are done on a five-year cycle, says Perkins. And because as part of the cycle, we have an Ashes device, where the demand is so high, this allows us to better manage prices in different years. In the end, major match revenue is the biggest source of revenue for many sites and it puts pressure on it, especially for those who don't have a regular supply of fixtures every year. We were fortunate to have a very good supply. We have the largest capacity outside of London, so it is very important for us to capitalize on the past two years and become a separate place of sale, regardless of the opposition. It is certainly a consideration for us too with the prices.

Trent Bridge also offers prices which, according to the CSA survey, are available to the majority of cricket fans. Nottingham will host a test against Pakistan and an ODI against Ireland this summer, with 46 of the 56 prize points for adults in both matches under the age of 50.

As you would expect, the landscape of London is a little different. This summer, there are three tests in the capital, two in Lords and one in The Oval, but you won't be able to get your hands on an adult ticket for days one to three of these matches for those under 50. Prices for the fourth day start at 40 at Lords and 45 at The Oval.

Compared to other major sporting events, these prices are not unreasonable. And with demand at an all-time high, Surrey recently sold more international tickets in a day (about 32,000) than they have ever done before, and it is without the circulation of Ashes this summer that tickets could be considerably more expensive and capital cities' cricket fields would still sell.

However, if cricket truly wants to develop the game and make its flagship attractions accessible to new bettors, it is worrying that many existing fans find international ticket prices in London prohibitive. After the success of 2019, there will be no better opportunity to attract and capture new fans and that means making sure that the game at the elite level is not just for elite customers.

This article appeared first in Wisden Cricket Monthly
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