Who Wants A Piece Of A Nz Fc Team?

leftie600

Active Member
http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/current/story/738499.html

Read the link above first and then read my rant.

Shouldn't they be concentrating on getting their scheduling right and not playing the games in soulless stadiums like Eden Park, Wellington Stadium etc. that domestic games will never fill? I'm of the belief that if you see game on TV that looks like it's full then you'll believe it is important and you'll watch, even if it is only a 5,000 seat venue. Likewise games that won't attract people purely because of the teams need grounds of the people to attract the crowds, NZ has these in abundance (the Basin, Pukekura Park etc.) so why don't they use these properly and more often?

NZ cricket appears to be trying to follow a model that we can't even make work for rugby, why don't they try their own way first, get the game back in people's minds and then try a very very gradual process with the end goal being the big stadiums packed out for domestic stuff say in 20 years time.
 
This seems to primarily be a scheduling issue more than anything else. Cricket boards need to be a lot smarter when putting thought into scheduling matches and determining which days and what grounds are used when the fixtures are being drawn up. It seems that NZC's scheduling leaves a lot to be desired, something which CA has fixed up (at least in an international sense) in the last few seasons but still needs some work at domestic level.

For example, NZC should look at scheduling it's T20 and List A games on Fridays and Sundays in order to maximise crowds and making use of public holidays and long weekends. Hosting a game on a Friday Night is far more likely to attract someone to a day/night or night game knowing that the majority won't have to go to work the next day. I know CA used to schedule a fair few WA Warriors List A games on Fridays as it was the last day of the working week and with the ground close to the city many office workers would come down after 4/4:30pm and watch the rest of the game. On a lot of occasions, the crowds were upwards of 5000, sometimes peaking at around 7K or more at times and for a domestic one-day game that's pretty good. Knowing you can go to the cricket on a Sunday and have a relaxing day at the game is also fairly enticing as well.

The winter tenancy idea isn't all that bad either. Having rugby (or other sports) playing during winter helps reduce expenses as they'll have to fork out for costs for six months of the year. It's a good way to reduce outgoings and you gain someone to maintain the venue over the winter months plus it also stays in operation during that time rather than sitting there doing nothing.

This "private investment" idea looks as if NZC has simply given up or really can't be bothered seeking other ways to rectify the issue.
 
Damn straight Ljp86, I've got a friend who owns a bar/restaurant and he's always stated that you have the doors open when you'll get the most amount of people, business isn't rocket science (unless your business is rocket science). People tend to flock to where other people are i.e. if you get a crowd others will follow no matter what the standard of the game. They need to stop looking at international business models and start looking at the what the people want.
 
Yeah, it just seems as if NZC aren't trying hard enough and they've gone to the last-resort gameplan without exploring other options.

I can't see this idea working all that well and I doubt anyone is going to want to buy a piece of a cricket side. Then you have all the other issues associated with shareholders and what not and it'll no doubt become more trouble than it's worth.
 
The NZC seem to think that they can't make domestic cricket popular again with their current budget and think that privatization will fix all their problems...

They need to wake up. Domestic cricket in New Zealand would be doing a whole lot better if they were doing many of the things you've mentioned above. Additionally, they could get the communities behind them by getting the teams out there plus hiring a decent marketing team that actually marketed..

As for who would buy the franchises'. I imagine that only the Knights, Aces and Wizards would find anyone who was prepared to invest..
 
The NZC seem to think that they can't make domestic cricket popular again with their current budget and think that privatization will fix all their problems...

They need to wake up. Domestic cricket in New Zealand would be doing a whole lot better if they were doing many of the things you've mentioned above. Additionally, they could get the communities behind them by getting the teams out there plus hiring a decent marketing team that actually marketed..

As for who would buy the franchises'. I imagine that only the Knights, Aces and Wizards would find anyone who was prepared to invest..

They need to take a leaf out of the Big Bash and look at what CA has done to develop those sides. A lot of mass promotion/marketing and generally making the atmosphere a fun and family-friendly one.
 
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