ECB Reports Record T20 Cricket Attendances
The ECB has announced record aggregate attendance figures for T20 cricket this season, which came to an end over the weekend with the NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day, as Birmingham Bears made home advantage count to beat Lancashire by four runs at Edgbaston.
The competition broke the 700,000 fan barrier for season-long attendances for first time in its 12 year-history
The season’s aggregate attendance of 704,205 – spread across 122 matches – is the highest number recorded since the domestic T20 format was first introduced in 2003.
It beats the previous record aggregate of 676,753 which was set in 2010 when there were a larger number of domestic T20 matches – 147 – played over the course of the season.
The average attendance for this year’s competition (5,772) is also up by 12% on the average figure (5,153) for the previous five seasons of domestic T20 matches. Eight counties have also enjoyed capacity crowds this season and the Finals Day also saw a record attendance of around 23,000 at Edgbaston.
Meanwhile, the competition’s Facebook and Twitter channels have jointly attracted more than 75,000 followers, and more than 18,000 people played the ECB’s Fantasy Game.
ECB chief operating officer Gordon Hollins said: ‘Tomorrow’s Finals Day promises to be a fantastic spectacle in front of a full-house Edgbaston crowd and a fitting way to round-off a highly memorable domestic T20 season which has seen many counties playing to full houses, record-breaking run-chases and all the drama and excitement which we traditionally associate with this format of the game.’
‘We’ve also been particularly pleased to see a healthy increase in the number of younger people buying tickets in advance, a growing ‘remote’ following for the competition across our social media channels, and, most important of all, a positive response from cricket fans to the new, dedicated Friday night slot for the majority of group stage matches.’
The final saw Lancashire fall four runs short of a record run chase for a finals day, after Birmingham Bears set 181-5 off their 20 overs – with Andrew Flintoff dismissing former England teammate Ian Bell with his first delivery.
Flintoff also hit two successive sixes towards the end to leave his side needing 14 off the final over, but Lancashire ended on 177-8.
