kodos
International Coach
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2003
- Online Cricket Games Owned
There has been massive buzz already for ashes in adelaide and melbourne. This will be great for the game as crowds and tv audiences are quite dissapointing in the last few years. Here is the article:
Ashes excitement goes Barmy
By Richard Earle and Jon Pierik
December 2, 2005
ENGLAND'S Ashes tour Down Under next year should bestow Adelaide Oval's first sell-out since "Bodyline" and is already monstering Melbourne's Commonwealth Games.
The marauding masses from the Old Dart are obsessed by a rare Ashes defence in their former colony.
Supply is smashing demand - too many Englishman, not enough hotel rooms.
South Australian Cricket Association chief executive Mike Deare said Melbourne-based tour operator Australian Sports Tours had been hired to deal with demand.
The SACA office had been receiving 700 calls a day from Britain. Brazen England fans are even buying WACA memberships to guarantee their spot in Perth.
Adelaide is provisionally pencilled in to host the second Test from Friday December 1.
"We are very optimistic of Adelaide having its first sell-out in around 70 years. We think it's a real possibility with (more than) 30,000 over the first three days, if not more.
The enquiries are still coming in." England has always attracted the largest crowds to Adelaide Oval with 174,000 in 1932-1933, 162,000 attending in 1954-1955, 150,000 in 1958-1959.
Adelaide's capacity is 28,000 but this will be augmented to 32,000 for the Ashes Test.
Temporary public and corporate seating will be added by the SACA which is still lobbying the state government for assistance to upgrade the venue.
Deare said Adelaide's hotels had been overwhelmed by bookings for next December.
"In some cases the Adelaide hotels are already booked out."
"I know from personal experience some people wanted to book 10 rooms at one leading hotel for a wedding reception but they were booked out for the Test," he said.
"I believe the same is the case for the major hotels around town."
A chat with MCG counterpart Stephen Gough during the Australia-West Indies Test in Adelaide last weekend also proved rather revealing.
"The advice Stephen has had back from the hotels in Melbourne is that there's more bookings for rooms during the Ashes series than for the Commonwealth Games. It's amazing," Deare said.
The influx of tourists will mean the SACA will recruit a huge casual workforce next year.
England will be faced with a hectic program of five Tests in six weeks The first Test is scheduled for the Gabba (November 23), followed by Adelaide (December 1), Perth (December 14), Melbourne (December 26) and Sydney (January 2).
Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board are still in negotiations about the final Ashes itinerary but it's understood England will play a possible 25 days of Test cricket in a 45-day period.
England's biggest break is likely to be nine days between the second and third Tests, while the tour opener is set to be in Queensland rather than at the traditional Lilac Hill in Perth.
Queensland officials believe there is every chance the 42,000-seat Gabba could be sold out on the opening three days of the first Test, while Melbourne Cricket Club officials are confident the revamped 100,000-seat stadium will be full on Boxing Day.
The Sydney Cricket Ground had to lock out disgruntled members the last time England toured, all desperate to watch the "Steve Waugh Test", and officials are expecting to have to do the same for the Ashes Test next year.
Cricket Australia reaped total revenue of $87.1 million from the 2002-2003 Ashes campaign but is destined to exceed that in 2006-2007.
Ashes excitement goes Barmy
By Richard Earle and Jon Pierik
December 2, 2005
ENGLAND'S Ashes tour Down Under next year should bestow Adelaide Oval's first sell-out since "Bodyline" and is already monstering Melbourne's Commonwealth Games.
The marauding masses from the Old Dart are obsessed by a rare Ashes defence in their former colony.
Supply is smashing demand - too many Englishman, not enough hotel rooms.
South Australian Cricket Association chief executive Mike Deare said Melbourne-based tour operator Australian Sports Tours had been hired to deal with demand.
The SACA office had been receiving 700 calls a day from Britain. Brazen England fans are even buying WACA memberships to guarantee their spot in Perth.
Adelaide is provisionally pencilled in to host the second Test from Friday December 1.
"We are very optimistic of Adelaide having its first sell-out in around 70 years. We think it's a real possibility with (more than) 30,000 over the first three days, if not more.
The enquiries are still coming in." England has always attracted the largest crowds to Adelaide Oval with 174,000 in 1932-1933, 162,000 attending in 1954-1955, 150,000 in 1958-1959.
Adelaide's capacity is 28,000 but this will be augmented to 32,000 for the Ashes Test.
Temporary public and corporate seating will be added by the SACA which is still lobbying the state government for assistance to upgrade the venue.
Deare said Adelaide's hotels had been overwhelmed by bookings for next December.
"In some cases the Adelaide hotels are already booked out."
"I know from personal experience some people wanted to book 10 rooms at one leading hotel for a wedding reception but they were booked out for the Test," he said.
"I believe the same is the case for the major hotels around town."
A chat with MCG counterpart Stephen Gough during the Australia-West Indies Test in Adelaide last weekend also proved rather revealing.
"The advice Stephen has had back from the hotels in Melbourne is that there's more bookings for rooms during the Ashes series than for the Commonwealth Games. It's amazing," Deare said.
The influx of tourists will mean the SACA will recruit a huge casual workforce next year.
England will be faced with a hectic program of five Tests in six weeks The first Test is scheduled for the Gabba (November 23), followed by Adelaide (December 1), Perth (December 14), Melbourne (December 26) and Sydney (January 2).
Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board are still in negotiations about the final Ashes itinerary but it's understood England will play a possible 25 days of Test cricket in a 45-day period.
England's biggest break is likely to be nine days between the second and third Tests, while the tour opener is set to be in Queensland rather than at the traditional Lilac Hill in Perth.
Queensland officials believe there is every chance the 42,000-seat Gabba could be sold out on the opening three days of the first Test, while Melbourne Cricket Club officials are confident the revamped 100,000-seat stadium will be full on Boxing Day.
The Sydney Cricket Ground had to lock out disgruntled members the last time England toured, all desperate to watch the "Steve Waugh Test", and officials are expecting to have to do the same for the Ashes Test next year.
Cricket Australia reaped total revenue of $87.1 million from the 2002-2003 Ashes campaign but is destined to exceed that in 2006-2007.
Oh well.
