SA test schedule

[StephenZA]

Agreed. South Africa could have played a longer series last July when they were in Bangladesh. Or since it was a short one, they could have played a few more games this July. Sri Lanka went to New Zealand two years in a row.

This is something that you guys are in a better position to answer. Rugby is more popular in New Zealand (And Australia too) and I would suspect it's the same case in South Africa.

How is cricket in terms of popularity in South Africa? I don't expect test cricket to compete with Rugby but is there a decent and sustainable market? And by popularity I mean crowd attendance, quality of broadcast (e.g you know cricket is popular in the subcontinent because almost every international game, including U19 games are telecast) The more popular the game, the better the quality.

Is there a lot of sponsorship interest? Do organisations feel that investing in cricket would be a good marketing and branding strategy for them?


These things are important ultimately in establishing financial clout.

I thought cricket was more popular in Aus than Rugby?

The demographics of the SA are a big reason for some of the issues. In reality soccer/football is the most popular sport followed by rugby then cricket (I would guess). But SA is a pretty sport mad country in general.

Popularity of cricket is difficult to gauge, people do like to go out and watch the ODI and T20 stuff, both international and domestic games, but its more of a day out, than love of the game... pretty sure though that is true for most of the world.

While I agree that the Hansie saga produced a bitter pill to swallow for most SA cricket lovers I don`t think it is a factor now. The truth about popularity of any game is based on how well it is marketed, we had the best test team in the world and nothing was really made of it.... but now that we lost to England and India the team was lambasted in the media. We are a top ODI side but we need to win a world cup before the people in SA will take notice... One of the issues in SA is that people don`t often praise but do like to criticise, even when they don`t actually know what they are talking about. I know this is generally true but it is particularly bad in SA.

Ultimately, winning a world cup would help the cricket in SA in a big way. But the CSA must do something to sell the game more. One of the things I can never understand, is how often I hear about other great international players, whom I know more about, than I know about Kallis, Ntini, Smith, Donald, etc... I know a few programs have been made now and again, but not enough and not enough on primary channels. Doing something particularly on the SABC channels (not paid for) will get to another whole demographic in SA and increase cricket awareness. In effect if the CSA don`t pull there thumb out and truly push the game in SA there are to many other sports that will attract people. This goes all the way back to my earlier points more games more TV coverage gets into peoples pschye.. and this means if CSA must make sacrifices now to grow the game then this must be done. This should have been done 20yrs ago....

 

[Oduodu]

That's the point. In the 20 years what has been done to grow the game as televisable entity ?? Sponsorships only come if people associate with something. People won't associate unless they see it. Local 4 day first class games needs to to be televised so that people can see it and their kids can grow up with it and form a love for the game. That's how I came to love the game.

 

[Stefan9]

Agreed. South Africa could have played a longer series last July when they were in Bangladesh. Or since it was a short one, they could have played a few more games this July. Sri Lanka went to New Zealand two years in a row.






This is something that you guys are in a better position to answer. Rugby is more popular in New Zealand (And Australia too) and I would suspect it's the same case in South Africa.

How is cricket in terms of popularity in South Africa? I don't expect test cricket to compete with Rugby but is there a decent and sustainable market? And by popularity I mean crowd attendance, quality of broadcast (e.g you know cricket is popular in the subcontinent because almost every international game, including U19 games are telecast) The more popular the game, the better the quality.

Is there a lot of sponsorship interest? Do organisations feel that investing in cricket would be a good marketing and branding strategy for them?


These things are important ultimately in establishing financial clout.

No rugby is not more popular then cricket. Pretty much every poll and every study has football first and cricket second and rugby third.

Rugby is just much better marketed and promoted then cricket.

In terms of broadcast ss shows all the international games played by all the test nations + all ipl & big bash games + the carribean t20 comp.

 

[StephenZA]

No rugby is not more popular then cricket. Pretty much every poll and every study has football first and cricket second and rugby third.

Rugby is just much better marketed and promoted then cricket.

In terms of broadcast ss shows all the international games played by all the test nations + all ipl & big bash games + the carribean t20 comp.

That's interesting to me, it shows how well marketed rugby is and what CSA should be doing.... regarding the coverage, yes, just about all the international games are shown... how much nicer for the SA public if they had more SA games to show... particularly if they show it on 'terrestrial' TV, even just highlights.

 

[MrPrez]

No rugby is not more popular then cricket. Pretty much every poll and every study has football first and cricket second and rugby third.

Rugby is just much better marketed and promoted then cricket.

In terms of broadcast ss shows all the international games played by all the test nations + all ipl & big bash games + the carribean t20 comp.

Nah, that's bollocks. I'd like to see these studies because I can say very comfortably that rugby is more popular than cricket in South Africa. And not just in terms of being marketed.

You probably get more live spectators at big school 1st XV matches than at FC cricket matches. Watching Super Rugby (as well as Springbok matches) is practically an expectation within Afrikaans culture, as well as a huge portion of English people too.

I do agree that soccer is first, but there is absolutely no way that cricket is more popular than rugby.

 

[StephenZA]

Nah, that's bollocks. I'd like to see these studies because I can say very comfortably that rugby is more popular than cricket in South Africa. And not just in terms of being marketed.

You probably get more live spectators at big school 1st XV matches than at FC cricket matches. Watching Super Rugby (as well as Springbok matches) is practically an expectation within Afrikaans culture, as well as a huge portion of English people too.

I do agree that soccer is first, but there is absolutely no way that cricket is more popular than rugby.

I can believe it, not absolutely sure if its true, but don`t forget historically rugby in SA was vilified. Which could have a big influence..

 

[Oduodu]

By 2nd most popular do you mean spectator or people playing cricket ??

 

[Stefan9]

Nah, that's bollocks. I'd like to see these studies because I can say very comfortably that rugby is more popular than cricket in South Africa. And not just in terms of being marketed.

You probably get more live spectators at big school 1st XV matches than at FC cricket matches. Watching Super Rugby (as well as Springbok matches) is practically an expectation within Afrikaans culture, as well as a huge portion of English people too.

I do agree that soccer is first, but there is absolutely no way that cricket is more popular than rugby.

The afrikaans and english people who watch rugby will a lot of times also watch some cricket, but for instance the indian and asian communities will not watch rugby at all.

 

[91Jmay]

I'd always heard that the afrikaans population was lukewarm on cricket? True or false?

 

[StephenZA]

I'd always heard that the afrikaans population was lukewarm on cricket? True or false?

As a pure generalization, they prefer rugby but still watch cricket.

 

[Oduodu]

In my own experience cricket is bigger amongst the english speaking community then the afrikaans. I am afrikaans but you have to remember that rugby is a religion amongst the afrikaans folk. If you don't play rugby you are considered a loser. Don t know about the english speaking community.

 

[91Jmay]

As a pure generalization, they prefer rugby but still watch cricket.

I know Barry Richards felt that SA government authorities pushed hard to get teams to come and play rebel rugby tours but didn't care as much about cricket ones.

 

[SeamUp]

I know Barry Richards felt that SA government authorities pushed hard to get teams to come and play rebel rugby tours but didn't care as much about cricket ones.

Certainly did.

The SA cricketers were trying to close the divide if they could but the government didn't like it at all I suspect.

Rugby is becoming more and more important in the English boys schools now. Like the whole NFL thing in the states I reckon. A Man's game etc + scouts are out country wide at schoolboy level for senior contracts for the Bulls, Sharks & WP. The opportunities are greater.

Must be a worry for cricket.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

I have also heard the "cricket is more popular than rugby" thing... However as a competition or sport in terms of popularity on weekends fishing absolutely destroys both rugby and cricket

 

[Stefan9]

I'd always heard that the afrikaans population was lukewarm on cricket? True or false?

Not that have experienced. Most of my family prefer cricket to rugby and at school most at least actively followed cricket.

The schools themselves though do prefer their pupils to play rugby as opposed to cricket, believe they get more money from school boy rugby then cricket. I still remember at school the vice principal calling us all together and give big speech because not enough were joining the rugby teams. I still refused...

 

[Oduodu]

I will never understand why one player of color was such a problem for the sa gov in 1970 and then the rebel tours of west indies was their own doing in trying to redress the balance.

Why could wi black people tour our country but our own blacks couldn't participate ? What was the thinking behind that ??

 

[kykweer.proteas]

The thing that makes rugby huge is the provincial competitive rivalry amongst supporters... Also a lot of these people in everyone's face on social media re rugby only follow rugby for bragging right.

As far i am aware of 90%+ of the country couldnt care less if the cobras won the titans in a first class match other than hoping your favorite individual player took wickets or scored runs. I dont see a lot of people walking with domestic teams merchandise.

 

[Oduodu]

Yes. Some people don't even know that the Cobras is a combined WP / Boland team.

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Analysis: Who watches cricket in South Africa? | Daily Maverick
The latest TV statistics show that Test cricket is the biggest TV draw card for South African viewers. Who’d have thunk it, with the empty seats every man and his dog like to harp on about? By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

 

[Oduodu]

From that article is the worrying trend of only older people watching with very little interest from young people.

I guess T20"s the future.