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Cricket Australia has announced that the 2014/15 Big Bash League will play its final game at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, ensuring a neutral venue hosts the championship game for the first time in the tournament’s four-year history.
The decision has been met with negativity on social media, with people saying Canberra’s lack of a team will lead to a lack of interest.
I cannot see the reasoning behind moving the game to a neutral oval with only a capacity of 13,550.
The final could be played in front of a small crowd should Perth, who had hosted the previous three finals, once again make the final game. Should a Sydney or Melbourne side fail to qualify, it could be a disaster.
I could understand the neutral venue should the home side have dominated the finals, however the aforementioned Perth Scorchers have won one of the three finals they have hosted.
The only way I can see a big crowd in attendance is if a Melbourne side players a Sydney side. This would play on the interstate rivalry and offer bragging rights in the nation’s capital.
Otherwise the competition, still in its infancy, would not attract the guaranteed sellout the AFL does for its all interstate grand final. Fans of the AFL are so entrenched that they would travel from the North Pole to the MCG to see their side contest the flag.
I just don’t see fans of the Hurricanes, Scorchers, Strikers or Heat jumping on a plane in their thousands to attend a final. I hope I am wrong, as I am a huge fan of the BBL.
The competition is set for a shot in the arm in the form of South African superstar Jacques Kallis’ arrival to the struggling Sydney Thunder, which should see them be far more competitive this season.
With a neutral final, which could be played in front of a largely neutral fan-base, I hope the work put in to build interest, including the Kallis signing, is not for naught.
Fans have short memories. Underwhelming support at the final could leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans over an extremely long off-season.
For mine, the highest finishing team should host the final.
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