ECB Announces Record-breaking 2019 Attendances
The ECB has announced that attendances at cricket games this summer have surpassed 3m for the first time ever.
The total gate figures for professional cricket in England and Wales – including domestic events such as the Vitality Blast and international tournaments such as the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes Series – topped 3.15m, a record-breaking figure for the ECB and an 18% increase on the previous record, which was set in 2017.
Interest in the sport peaked this summer when England captured the World Cup at Lord’s in a stunning finale, while the Ashes series continued the drama later. The ECB, however, says that the demand for tickets was in evidence well in advance of either event and saw the organisation’s best-ever advance sales, with 907,000 tickets sold before Christmas 2018. It also says that tickets for the Ashes series were ‘effectively’ sold out by the end of February, comparing favourably with the mid-June sell-out date for the last home series in 2015.
Following on from the successful year of sales, the ECB says that all of the venues hosting England men’s international fixtures in the 2020 season will run ticket ballots for the first time.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “Hosting an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes Test series in the same season gave us a unique opportunity to bring more people to the game – and we’re thrilled that this summer’s record crowds have exceeded all our expectations.
“We are committed to capitalising on this opportunity and with the launch of our new five-year strategy Inspiring Generations – which has growing the game at its heart – we have ambitions to replicate the attendance figures cricket has enjoyed this summer across future seasons.
“We’re also excited to see significant growth in advance ticket sales across all venues. With four international teams touring this country next summer, we’re already seeing strong demand for tickets at all venues and we’d urge fans to buy early to avoid missing out on what promises to be another memorable summer of cricket.”
The 2020 season will see England host the West Indies, Australian, Pakistan and Ireland, while The Hundred will also begin next year.
