There’s always a catch in BBL
THERE’S a fine line between contentment and overkill and I reckon we’re sitting smack bang on it.
Gold Coasters need no reminding the Glitter Strip can be a fickle environment in which for sporting clubs to operate and the city’s exposure to the Big Bash League has been well planned and well received.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here – we don’t need a BBL team of our own.
Brisbane Heat have brought the bright lights of domestic Twenty20 action to the Coast over the past two seasons and crowd numbers have been solid but far from spectacular.
Given those games have been drip-fed over more than 12 months and still not attracted sellout (or even near sellout) crowds, Cricket Australia should take note.
The governing body has made no secret of its desire to expand the BBL from eight teams in the years ahead and there have been plenty who have talked up the Coast as being a potential beneficiary.
But as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Big Bash has been CA’s golden goose over the past eight years but last season was the first sign they are at risk of overcooking it.
Desperate to maximise the financial bonanza that comes with the shortest form, CA added 16 extra fixtures in 2018-19 – and fans responded with decreased crowd numbers and TV viewership.
The lesson? Don’t be greedy.
I don’t subscribe to the theory that national sporting teams can’t thrive on the Gold Coast.
Yes, we’ve seen clubs come and go before but those were different times. And yes, the Titans and Suns are struggling on-field but as we saw with the Brisbane Lions in the AFL last year, things can turn around very quickly.
The fans will come when their team is winning.
But success has nothing to do with the ho-hum crowds for Heat games on the Coast – with Chris Lynn steering the ship, Brisbane will always win enough games to gets fans through the gates.
Let’s be happy with what we have. A few BBL games each season, plus an international T20 or two, should satisfy the city’s appetite for elite cricket.