The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Australian cricket needs to be in the media all year

3rd August, 2017
Advertisement
David Warner will return to the Australian fold before the 2019 Cricket World Cup. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)
Roar Guru
3rd August, 2017
16
1369 Reads

With the standoff between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association finally concluding in the announcement of a new deal on Thursday afternoon, it is time for Cricket Australia to build a stronger media unit.

For years, Australian cricket has almost disappeared entirely from the sports pages from March to September. This is a stark contrast with the AFL, who very wisely built their own fully-fledged media unit several years ago to ensure they never disappeared from the news cycle, even in the off-season.

The last few weeks of stories about the ongoing impasse between CA and the ACA have really highlighted to me how unusual it is to read about cricket in August. Compare this to how many articles about the AFL are available through the summer months and it’s clear CA need to lift their game in this area.

I’m sure I am not alone in wanting to know more about what our national and state cricketers are up to in the off season, especially those playing county cricket and in T20 tournaments across the globe. Combine this with ongoing changes to state and Big Bash teams, and there is a wealth of information that could be published through the winter months.

The AFL is not alone in their ability to maintain a year-round presence in the news cycle. The National Basketball Association in the US really only has one month a year (August) where basketball news is relatively quiet. Between the draft, free agency, summer league, pre-season, regular season and finals, there always seems to be plenty to discuss about the league and its various goings on.

Cricket in Australia may not have as many teams or players as the NBA or AFL, but it does have extremely strong TV coverage, and constantly achieves high ratings from November (sometimes October) through to February and March every year.

As the AFL has continued to strengthen its position through its media unit, CA can definitely achieve similar success and strengthen its fan base through year-round media coverage of its players and teams. I’d be happy to help, Cricket Australia. Feel free to get in touch.

close