COAST STAR HEATING UP
KUHNEMANN’S BBL CHANCE:
THE Brisbane Heat have embarked on a mission to take over the Gold Coast, revealing long-term plans on the Glitter Strip that could kill any chance of the city boasting its own Big Bash franchise.
The Heat will return to Metricon Stadium this summer, playing two BBL games at the home of the AFL’s Gold Coast Suns.
The 2019-20 BBL will be the second season of a threeyear agreement for the Heat to play at Metricon following a moderately successful debut last summer, where they attracted nearly 30,000 fans across two matches.
The Heat said their appearances on the Gold Coast last summer coincided with a significant boost in junior cricket participation numbers in the region.
The Gold Coast has been linked as a possible expansion region for the BBL, but the Heat are keen to remain as Queensland’s only franchise and are widening their reach.
Heat general manager Andrew McShea said the franchise wanted to make the Gold Coast its second home.
“We’re certainly not there for the short-term – we see it as a medium to long-term plan,” he said. “The participation levels in entry-level programs on the Gold Coast are up 25 per cent year-on-year. Junior male club cricket is up 20 per cent. We’re not saying that’s off playing those games alone, but it’s certainly a big factor.
“We’ll sit down with the Suns halfway through next year and talk about what the future looks like, but we very much see it as a long-term play.”
The Heat’s first foray into the Coast coincided with a tremendous summer storm that drenched the stadium and contributed to a paltry crowd of 12,791 against Hobart on December 22 last year.
They attracted a solid 17,106 to their New Year’s Day clash against the Sydney Sixers, and have been given another January 1 fixture against Perth, this time a night game.
McShea said the Heat had hopes of filling the 21,000seat stadium for games against the Melbourne Stars (December 20) and Scorchers.
“We want to sell it out this summer,” he said.
“That was our objective last summer and we were a little bit unlucky with the weather.
“We’ll give it a good shake on the 20th of December and 1st of January.
“The facilities are great and the wicket’s getting better. If we can embed these games over the next three years, then who knows what the future holds there?”
Brisbane will begin its BBL campaign against the Sydney Thunder at the Gabba on December 17.
WE VERY MUCH SEE IT AS A LONG-TERM PLAY. WE WANT TO SELL IT OUT ANDREW MCSHEA, BRISBANE HEAT