By JMB
February 21 2007

Yorkshire’s chief executive, Stewart Regan, has publicly stated that County Championship cricket does not pay the bills. The trickle of paying supporters on a match day does little to enhance a crowd made up mostly of pre-paid members, often leaving Headingley bereft of atmosphere and almost empty.

The club made more money from one Twenty20 match in 2006 than from paying spectators throughout the Championship season.

 

Paradoxically most ‘real’ cricket fans are traditionalists who enjoy the strategy and finesse of the longer form of the game over the slogathon that is Twenty20 and the marginally less smash bang wallop of a one day game. As the 21^st century ticks on all forms of cricket have their place in the modern arena and all forms their respective attractions.

 

Discussions on The Corridor have had one thing in common – we love the Championship game, but struggle to find a way to encourage its longevity through support.

 

One thing that Stewart Regan consistently misses when bemoaning the lack of income from the long form of the game is that the vast majority become members to watch 4-day cricket. These supporters are effectively paying through the door each time they bring out their membership book and hand over the numbered token, albeit at a vastly reduced rate per game.

 

It is very easy to sound the death knoll on Championship cricket, but Corridor readers want to see the county do more. A lot of money is spent on promoting one day cricket for the obvious reason that the potential returns are the highest. That said Yorkshire could do a lot more to promote and sell the 4-day game.

 

Most regulars at Headingley Carnegie will tell you that the crowds for Championship matches are at worst pathetic and when the sun is shining sparse at best. Players perform despite the lack of a buzz around the ground.

 

The fact is that Championship cricket will not die while Test cricket is at the centre of the English game. The 4-day game feeds the cream of the domestic game into the England setup and just as commonly provides overseas players with a stepping stone into their own Test sides. So the County Championship is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The club must do what it can to make it work.

 

If there is a way to reignite public interest in Championship cricket The Corridor is all for it. The County Championship is a twenty-one letter conundrum without the simple 30 second Countdown solution. Weekday cricket matches conflict with work, school and everyday life. The following are all suggestions that Corridor readers have forwarded or have been spoken of elsewhere. They all have their limitations, but if Championship cricket is going to move forward they potentially all have a part to play.

 

§                  The club must advertise county cricket more effectively. Hardcore cricket fans have fixture lists long before the season kicks off in April. Floating supporters with a day away from the office might not be as clued up. The fixtures need promoting so that when people are considering what to do with their day(s) off, a day at Headingley Carnegie is in people’s minds as a possibile attraction instead of a days golf, a shopping trip or any other easy distraction. A Corridor reader remarked that there was a sign on the winter shed advertising August games during the Durham fixture at the end of September. Scarborough get decent crowds, but most pubs and B&B’s in Scarborough have fixture lists of Yorkshire games on public display.

 

§                  Headingley is situated in the middle of a thriving student community. The club could give free entry to students (possibly to selected fixtures) who would then watch the cricket and spend the money in the bars instead of in the Headingley pubs. The ground is big enough to cater for the student population and they would spend more in the bars than the members who sit with their flasks and sandwiches in the stands without spending any money. The club would need to price the beer more sensibly to compete with the Headingley pubs.

 

§                  The provision of crèche / childcare facilities so that parents with young children can attend without worrying whether their offspring will get bored and / or cause havoc.

 

§                  Allow the paying public at Championship games to access member areas for a small extra fee – call it ‘member for a day’.

 

§                  When the ECB negotiate the next TV deal they should insist that the winning company shows a certain number of days of Championship cricket per season, so that the clubs benefit from Sky’s money and the game receives greater exposure.

 

§                  If it makes sense to have other attractions on offer at one day matches then surely it makes sense for Championship cricket. The club needs to consider what constitutes a good day out. The cricket is at the centre of this, but can other things be offered too?

 

§                  Introduce floodlit cricket to the 4-day game. Matches could start in the afternoon and go through the evening allowing those working with the option of catching the last 2 sessions of play each day. The main problem with the County Championship is the hours of play which are then spread over four full days. This suggestion would counter that problem.

 

§                  A return to 3-day cricket but with more overs played in a day. If 110+ overs are bowled on each of the 3 days the match would lose only a few overs from the existing 4-day structure and how many 4-day games go the distance? Matches could then be played Friday to Sunday to attract greater crowds and generate interest.

 

These few ideas are not the only answers. Discuss this article in the message thread below and make your own suggestions on how Yorkshire and the other counties can improve and rejuvenate County Championship cricket.