Howzat! Big game for Oval
Next year’s World Cup women’s cricket final is expected to bring millions of visitor dollars and big TV audiences to Christchurch.
The city’s Hagley Oval has been chosen to host the final of the ICC (International Cricket Council) 50-over tournament to be held across the country in February and March 2021.
Canterbury Cricket Trust chair Lee Robinson said they were’’ absolutely delighted’’ with the news, which would bring ‘‘very welcome economic boosts to Christchurch businesses, and the region’’ including trade and tourism. A month ago the trust won a bid to install six 49-metre lighting towers at the oval to allow for night-time TV coverage, citing the tournament matches as among the fixtures the lights would help secure.
The trust is now raising money for the $4 million project, which was opposed by many people.
‘‘Fans will be able to enjoy world-class cricket under lights at our internationally envied village green venue,’’ Robinson said. Canterbury has hosted the tournament final before – in 2000 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval at
Lincoln. The match saw New Zealand’s White Ferns beat Australia, the only time a New Zealand men’s or women’s team has won a World Cup.
The previous final, in England in 2017, was watched by an audience of 180 million, according to NZ Cricket. With England beating India in the match, it was reportedly India’s most watched women’s sporting event ever.
Joanna Norris, chief executive of economic development and promotional agency ChristchurchNZ, said the tournament would bring the city an extra
15,000 visitor nights and nearly
$3m in spending. ‘‘Cricket attracts huge global audiences and we are extremely pleased Christchurch can play host to an event of this scale.
‘‘This is a great example of what an event can do for the reputation and economy of a city, and we could not be more pleased with this result for Christchurch,’’
Norris said.
She said the agency had worked with the trust as well as Canterbury Cricket, the city council, and venue operator VBase to win the bid for the final, which had been subject to a ‘‘rigorous selection process’’ by ICC.
The chairman of Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Canterbury hotel section, Reinier Eulink, said the announcement was ‘‘great news’’ for city hotels.
‘‘It will bring in all the teams and the fans. And television coverage of an international event like this will help attract more people to the city.’’
Jeremy Curwin, chief executive of Canterbury Cricket, said the final would be ‘‘a great opportunity for the local cricketing community’’. ‘‘Events like these inspire generations of sporting fans to get involved, which is especially exciting for the women’s game here in Canterbury,’’ Curwin said.