Will you support cricket's new Big Bash League?

are u guys serious the soccer, afl, nrl do not have state borders and people attend games to support their team i believe their will be more rivalry between teams like melbourne and adelaide, brisbane and sydney, sydney 1 and 2 and melbourne 1 and 2

What is wrong with the current Big Bash? Not a lot given the crowds. Thats because- 1. Its played over a short time frame- keeps the interest going. 2. State tribalism is very strong in Aust. 3. A good sprinkling of test cricketers/up and comers/grizzled veterans play. 4. People have lots of free time in summer evenings. 5. Its new. Take away these factors and it will flop.

No, I hate fake sports teams - I love the teams in the EL, NRL, AFL etc with 100plus years of support from real people I am sincerely saddened that the discraceful Peter Young has been allowed as a "special contributor" He would be one of the first three axed if I got hold of Cricket Australia, along with Hilditch and Sutherland His mealy mouthed comments in support of stealing the game from the people and flogging it to the corporate wh*res he so loves should be treated with contempt Give us our game back and resign, you are turning cricket fans away in search of an alien audience that doesn't exist

Agree, if their intention was to create a NRL/AFL type competition manufacturing teams was absolutely the wrong way to go. To create a league, put out some basic application requirements and see who applies. It might take a bit of jigging of the application rules if not enough applicants make the cut early on - but for sure those that do apply will have the beginings of a fan base (and possibly sponsorship) already sorted. A pre-existing fan base will turn up at games earlier and more regularly, a fan base will talk about it with their mates at work (spreading the word), a fan base will buy the merchandise ... CA can manufacture a team and drop it in Brisbane team, but not even thinking about the rest of Queensland even in Brisbane who is their fan base? Loyalty takes time to build, it needs history, it needs old stories and traditional rivalries, old players and their kids and mates that grew up with the team. St Kilda, the Saints (both), Bronco's, Pies, even the Cowboys and all the rest have a history. The Bears and Perth Reds (possible NRL additions) may not be in the NRL yet, but they've already got some years behind them and a fan base (even if thin). Gold Coast had a fan base before they had a name for their AFL team (and remember the horror when AFL wanted to help them out by moving an existing AFL team (or alternatively an old AFL skeleton) to Gold Coast - nobody wanted that: not the Gold Coast, not the other teams, even the the intended corpse was unwilling to be resurected on foreign soil.) Back to CA's current idea, I give it 2 years of losses, and then they will have another "new" model. (Probably after paying a huge consultancy fee for some braniac to come up the next bright brand new idea) - which I'd also bet will have an errie similarity to what they had in 2010 despite claims it's not only completely different but much better too. And it'll still be wrong.

Good move from CA. The T20 competition is better suited to be a club competition rather than a state-based competition. Keep the state sides as representative sides. There's nothing to be admired about Chris Gale "representing" Western Australia because he signed a contract with them. It just makes state representation meaningless.

All I know is city based teams will alienate everyone who whose city/large town doesn't have a team. It will me anyhow. I wonder how long Twenty/20 will be around? I have a feeling the concept is a shooting star and a bit like 'skins' in golf.

The concept is flawed. It has been mentioned in here many times why. It is the old case of management being just too remote and detached from reality. They should stop trying to make more 'revenue streams' and actually fix what we have. Cricket has been pretty good for the last 400 odd years. When this all dies in the rump, guess who picks up the pieces. People like Sutherland get a big fat severance cheque and leave with a shrug of the shoulders, blaming everyone but themselves. End of the day, it's on Foxtel. Only 20 percent, at best, homes get it. So it is dead before it even begins.

simple answer – NO.

Personally, I feel Twenty20 has peaked and is on the decline. Crowds are down in England and in the Big Bash, and the games just aren't that exiting anymore. Yes still big in India, and it will be interesting to see how it goes there over the next 5 years or so. The game bears little resemblance to traditional cricket other than it is played with a bat and ball and I think the novelty has worn off. It won't be the massive money spinner CA is hoping for, at least not in the long term. Many teams are scoring only 140 - 150 runs now, and that is with the boundary rope in. More should be done to enhance the domestic one dayers, as well as the shield, maybe some proper promotion and cheap ticket prices to get the public into the grounds.

Cricket Australia has recognised a fall in attendances at the Big Bash this season and has devised a new competition hoping to arrest the decline and make big bucks for the game. With respect, this appears to be a case of putting the cart before the horse. Yes, the Big Bash bubble seems to have burst, but this seems to have more to do with the evolving nature of Twenty20 cricket itself than the game's structure. I'm a Test and Shield cricket lover who also enjoys the Big Bash, but it's been less entertaining this summer, as bowling and fielding tactics catch up with ultra-aggressive batting. CA's marketing department has come up with an eight-team Big Bash League. I wonder what age the marketing consultants are? Probably about 40 . . . still young enough to think they can get "down with the kids". But the kids are probably laughing behind their backs at the oldies (when you're 15, a 40-year-old is, well, old). Do the marketing gurus really think anyone, young or old, will instantly embrace the Sydney Fiasco playing the Melbourne Malaise? I live in a regional centre at present, albeit reluctantly. NSW is my team, but I won't have a team to follow in the Big Bash League. Can someone send CA homeward to think again?

Peter, see my comments further up the page if you want to know the real reason why youngsters are not playing cricket. I am sick already of trying to coach young players to bat correctly, when all they see on TV is "hack" shots in 20/20 games, and then try to copy them "because that's how David Warner plays". I 'm sorry, but I can't for the life of me see how this is good for Test and Shield Cricket in the long term.

I was not blaming anyone. I just suggested that CA talk to the CEO (or whatever the title is) of the ARU to get their perspective on inventing tribalism and faux clubs. Frankly the the argument over whose fault it was is way off topic. However I agree that JON wasn't at the helm at that time. (Since JON wasn't involved he may be a little more forthcoming with the facts...) Additionally I have never said it was a bad concept, I was infering thatthe implementation using made up clubs was flawed and that CA might do well to seek the advice of those who have tried.

I live in regional QLD, and the number of juniors playing is shrinking quickly. This "Big Bash League" may generate some short term interest amongst young people in the city areas, but what about the regions? The reason I see that juniors are not playing cricket is the lack of grass roots promotion. The only people who know about cricket sign-on days around here are people who play already, anyone on the outside doesn't hear about it. Contrast that with Hockey, League, Soccer etc, we get letter box drops, radio ads, newspaper ads etc, as well as demonstration games and elite players on sign-on days. Everybody hears about it. Cricket Australia needs to get off their backside and start promoting PROPERLY into Schools etc, and give local clubs some of the ample funds they have to push the game in their local areas. The lack of young players is alarming with many clubs not being able to field teams in certain age groups. Where are the next generation of test players going to come from?

Jiggles, This is correct. We might blame John O'Neill for some things, but the APC/ARC fiascos happened on Gary Flowers' watch. I have to disagree with Rabbitz & say that the concept for both the APC & ARC were sound, but the implementation of both was very poorly thought out & handled. We should be careful not to throw the baby out with the dirty water.....

well said sheek. However in this case, implementing a completely new comp is probably not a minor tweak. I would love to know where CA get this "information" that indicates more people will follow cricket due to this new comp. Do they actually belive it or are they like politicians and blindly follow statistics if they seem to be taking them in the general direction they want to go?

Rabbitz, Correct me if I am wrong But I believe the ARC/APC was a Gary Flowers Idea. Didn’t O’Neil re-join the ARU after the WC and disband the ARC?

so singlet's are definitely not my item of clothing, I look pretty terrible in them. But I totally bought a Bulls singlet to wear to Big Bash games. And now they don't exist in the Big Bash. And what if they don't have the same colours? Now I am some anachronical weirdo. Boo

You've got that right. Though I'm a Hobartian - I did spend some years up in Burnie as a teenager. I don't like tearing apart the Tigers and calling it Hobart Something-or-rather. The team should be identified with the whole state, not just Hobart. I'm rather miffed at this decision. Yet that's the thing about this whole comp - 'they' make the decisions with little consideration for the 'consumers' ('they' don't consider us to be 'fans') and expect we are just going to swallow it. Too much gazing at the IPL by the powers that be IMO and ignoring the traditions that we already have here.

Great. Cant wait to see the West Sydney Wankers take on the Dandenong Deadsh*ts in the WhoCares Cup!

Sheek My sentiments exactly. I believe we have to accept that our values and the relationship we had with sport is not that of the new age 'consumer'. Today is all about sportstainment with endless new products being engineered by those commercial marketeers for the insatiable prosaic public, placing more emphasis on the bling factor than any old sporting virtues that our generation may still espouse.