Cricket matches need to elevate themselves into entertainment events if they want to win audiences, according to a leading exec of one of England’s most successful cricket clubs. Lancashire County Cricket Club plays its home matches at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, a venue which has been recently renovated with a new media center and will soon include a new 150-bedroom hotel. The venue now doubles as an entertainment venue, hosting corporate hospitality events and rock concerts. Adam Pearson, events and partnership manager at Lancashire County Cricket Club, was charged with lifting audience numbers of Lancashire County Cricket Club’s domestic T20 cricket matches. Pearson said, “We really wanted to make it much more of an event than just the cricket, which was going to be really key in attracting new non-cricket fans that is what we desperately needed. Cricket doesn’t have the budgets of some sports, so we had to get very creative in terms of deal with contras [or barter] and our sponsors. We looked to lean heavily on our brewery partner.”
NEW AUDIENCES: Pearson made a raft of investments into broadening the appeal of the T20 game both inside and outside the ground, with a focus on appealing to families and young professionals. Inside the ground investments included putting in big screens, food and drink facilities, ticketing offers and an interactive seating map. Outside of the ground, city center advertising, a contra deal to get advertising at transport hubs, radio advertising and co-opting an area in Manchester City Center to live stream a T20 game was undertaken. Pearson said live streaming the game would encourage people to attend future matches at Lancashire Country Cricket Club.
THE PAY OFF: The investment into the T20 game, according to Pearson, has led to a 67% uplift in attendances over the year, with average attendances now nudging above 50,000. Pearson said crucial to future commercial success would be working with sponsors. “We are now integrating sponsors' campaigns in everything that we do,” he said. Pearson was speaking at a "fan engagement" event hosted by Premier Sports Network, a networking club founded by sponsorship consultancy Eleven Sports & Entertainment.
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
