Cricket World Cup profit trebles
19/04/2007 |
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The 2007 Cricket World Cup will generate three times as much ticket revenue as the 2003 edition, tournament chief executive Chris Dehring said as he defended the event against criticism.
The nine Caribbean host nations will recoup more than $30 million from the 51-match tournament, compared with the $10.5 million produced in South Africa, where the event featured 52 games, he said. The average attendance, following the April 28 final, is likely to be 10,000, the same as four years ago.
``It is difficult to conceive how South Africa can be perceived as a success as a Cricket World Cup and the West Indies performance be seen as not a success,'' Dehring said in a phone interview. ``Those are the facts and we would hope people would look at that and make their judgment.''
World Cup organizers have been accused of making the event too long at seven weeks, pricing out local fans by selling tickets for between $25 and $100, and depriving the event of Caribbean flavor by imposing restrictions on bringing food, drink and musical instruments into the ground.
Many matches have been watched by sparse crowds, including those involving host West Indies in Antigua. In some venues, the $25 tickets amounted to space on a grassy bank beyond the boundary rope, with no shade from the sun.
Organizers of recent matches in Barbados have looked to boost attendances by inviting locals to watch games for free. More than 20,000 turned out to see South Africa rout England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, the venue for next week's final.
`Pure Greed'
``It's too little, too late,'' said Bruce Thomas, a civil servant from Barbados, who came in free to watch the closing stages of Ireland's victory over Bangladesh three days ago. ``The matches were too expensive for many people round here -- it's pure greed.''
Dehring said his organization took full responsibility for setting ticket prices after consulting regional governments and local committees.
He disagreed with Malcolm Speed, president of the International Cricket Council, that prices should have been staggered depending on the economic strengths of the host countries.
``I wouldn't necessarily jump to that conclusion,'' he said. ``How you would explain that for a West Indies game in Guyana, which ostensibly has the poorest economy, every ticket was sold, whereas in Antigua, which has a stronger economy, the tickets weren't all sold.''
(Source: Bloomberg.com)
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