A few nights ago, as I was walking towards the SCG for the last Sixers BBL match for the season, several people asked how I was feeling about the “last Sixers game”. I was confused, as I still had quite a few Sixers games to watch.
It then occurred to me that these people had forgotten the winners of the 2016-17 WBBL title.
Contemplating questions about the game of cricket keep me awake at night. What makes the BBL overpower the WBBL competition to the point the women are simply forgotten, even when the Sydney Sixers are number one on the 2017-18 WBBL table?
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Growing up, I spent endless weekends watching my brother dressed all in white, running after a ball, and then a few hours later, hitting that same ball and running in a straight line. How strange. How fascinating.
When we had a spare Sunday, the TV would be on – men would be dressed all in white, interacting with this red ball in the very same way I had watched my brother doing.
In Year 3, I had to choose a sport to play during terms one and four at school. Before I knew it, my girlfriends and I were chasing that same red ball in the summer season.
I never questioned if it was strange that, unlike the players on both my brother’s team and on the TV, we were female. It never occurred to me there may be segregation due to gender.
By Year 7 I had played 12 terms of IGSSA cricket and a season of NSW CAS cricket, and come across some of the most driven sportswomen I have ever met.
In Year 8, my parents asked me what sport I wanted to play in term one. Of course I replied, “cricket”. Much to my surprise and disappointment, however, cricket was no longer an option at school, due to the lack of interest and the fact that there were not enough playing fields to carry out a girls’ school season.
Not enough playing fields?!
I thought back on how many hours I had spent over the past ten-plus years, travelling around Sydney to watch my brother play, and was plagued with frustration and disbelief.
As a result, I decided to join the newly formed girls’ team at my brother’s club. However, while 11 or so gung-ho players showed up at the first training session, the coach didn’t.
This was the first time I understood that men’s cricket was more highly regarded and taken more seriously than women’s.
Sydney Sixers’ captain Ellyse Perry hits out against the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Watching the Sixers WBBL team, in Brisbane in January 2017, was an amazing experience. A team featuring the youngest ever cricketer – male of female – to represent Australia, and others who matched her capacity played an absolute cracker of a game.
Brisbane at this time of year is stinking hot and the WBBL games are played around midday, in the direct sun and heat. However, not one complaint was heard and the Sydney girls powered through to victory.
Yet there is a huge difference in crowd numbers between the BBL and WBBL. The BBL attracts crowds of at least 20,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while the silence from an absent crowd at the WBBL shocks me every time.
Regardless, the women continue to play a game of cricket filled with emotion and support for each other – all the while acting as an inspiration for our future cricketers.
As I observe the Sixers women put their absolute all into every game played, I cannot fathom why a crowd of 20,000 is not present to share such emotion, support and influence.
Things have to change.
We need to focus on the strengths of players within the WBBL, instead of making a comparison between them and the men. We should grow a support network within the competition, rather than just within a single team.
No one ever said a man couldn’t dominate in a game of netball, or draw a crowd of thousands who want to watch him dance. So why do we question a woman’s place in a sport they love?
Charlie
Guest
'As I observe the Sixers women put their absolute all into every game played, I cannot fathom why a crowd of 20,000 is not present to share such emotion, support and influence.' That is your problem, you think that effort matters for a spectator sport. Most people dont care about how much effort someone puts in be they man or woman or even a child. Women are just incapable of hitting a ball as far or bowling as fast or spinning it as much or reacting quickly enough to make a point blank save in the same way men are. If women were then people would want to watch them more than the men. Its not sexism its elitism, most people want to watch the best. No one, at least no one who isnt an ass, is questioning a womans place to play the game she loves but just because someone loves a sport doesnt mean people want to see it if its not as good as something else.
Tom English
Roar Guru
Agree, but half an hour is a bit to short. what if there was a Super over etc, The men would need time for warmups, Broadcast etc.
Norvsta
Guest
In 30 years time the only 2 forms of cricket will be BBL and WBBL.
Dutski
Roar Guru
The news media generally need to wear this too. How often do you hear the BBL results on the radio but not the WBBL?
Paul D
Roar Guru
The important thing is that the tournament continues to be supported and sustained regardless of crowd numbers. It will grow over time, but you can’t make people rock up and watch. People like Pies will make all sorts of value judgments based on crude measures like muscle fibre but attitudes like that are becoming rarer and rarer as time passes.
Council
Guest
I think the issue is that people want to pay to watch a sport played at the highest level of skill and ability and physicality. It's why women will always out rate meet in netball and women's tennis and lesser extent golf are so big. The women's 7s goes off, and the WRWC, because they are played at a very high level. People will always compare the wbbl to the bbl and people will go to watch the game they see as being the better show. I do think there should be a much smaller gap between the two though, say half an hour at most. And if you have the mean game before the women's you'll find that people will simply leave after the men's game and won't stay for the women's sad they've seen the match they came for.
Nick Kelland
Roar Guru
Great read Emma - Fingers crossed the girls go back-to-back!
dan ced
Guest
I've seen the end of a few games, but the double headers have the women playing when I'm still at work! I got to check out a couple of Lauren Cheatle overs before a game last year, which was cool. I was interested in the hype surrounding her. At the end of they day they're all 5 times better than me at cricket, so still worth a watch.
Emma Rémond
Roar Rookie
Hey Maggie, I completely agree - no one wants to undergo the build up and hype of a double header with nothing but an absence of atmosphere and activity half way through. The rugby 7s for example fit a series of games into a day, holding a crowd and with a booming atmosphere growing within. Maybe even a WBBL game after a BBL game? The WBBL competition is so much more than just a 'pre show'!
I ate pies
Guest
When you can clear the fence people will come to watch.
Papa T
Guest
Agree Maggie. The appeal with the T20s is the relatively shorter time spans for a day out at the game. I would like to see the WBBL match also, but when you add 90 minutes to the six hours of play for both matches, all of a sudden it is a rather long day. I could probably then convince my daughter to come along too.
Maggie
Guest
I see that Alex Blackwell, captain of Sydney Thunder, has called for a shorter gap between the women’s and men BBL matches when they are played as double headers. This makes perfect sense to me. At present there is usually around 90 minutes to sit around after the women’s match waiting for the men to start - which only a very small number of people are willing to do. Close that gap and more people will arrive in time to see at least part of tne women’s match which over time could only be good for developing a larger dedicated following for standalone women’s matches.