Cricket’s Popularity in England

[Cricket Bliss]

Heard from many sources that Cricket after the 2005 Ashes has not been free on TV and was paid and that led to decline in its popularity. The next match that was free was the final of the 2019 World Cup. Such things actually led to decline on popularity of Cricket in England to the level that hardly 2 out of 10 in England is interested in Cricket. How much of this is true?

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Heard from many sources that Cricket after the 2005 Ashes has not been free on TV and was paid and that led to decline in its popularity. The next match that was free was the final of the 2019 World Cup. Such things actually led to decline on popularity of Cricket in England to the level that hardly 2 out of 10 in England is interested in Cricket. How much of this is true?

Bang on tbf, there are so many things to do/watch these days that only football really is big enough to cut through to the mainstream, but there are lots of things that have caused cricket’s popularity to plummet (taking it off FTA television is one, a lack of space and facilities to play is another). I feel when I was growing up, cricket and rugby union would have been very similar in terms of popularity where I lived, nowadays, in the schools I’ve worked at, whether private or state, rugby is definitely more popular with people of all backgrounds (apart from South Asians of course!)

 

[CartyDurham]

It’s only going to get worse once the current main test players retire

the hundred will be the death knell of test cricket in England

 

[Tom Flint]

Anyone saying crickets popularity is plummeting probably has no involvement in club or village cricket themselves. At least in the south east where I live anyway

 

[Chubb]

Anyone saying crickets popularity is plummeting probably has no involvement in club or village cricket themselves. At least in the south east where I live anyway

I haven’t lived in the UK for 15 years but both the clubs I have connections to are thriving. The small village in Devon I used to play for now has three men’s teams, three youth sides and a women’s team. When I grew up there we had two men’s teams, usually scraping the twos together, and no youth team at all.

My family club in Essex was always bigger, obviously, but has more teams at all levels than ever.

I’d say it is hard for cricket obsessives to really judge how popular it is, to be fair.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

I haven’t lived in the UK for 15 years but both the clubs I have connections to are thriving. The small village in Devon I used to play for now has three men’s teams, three youth sides and a women’s team. When I grew up there we had two men’s teams, usually scraping the twos together, and no youth team at all.

My family club in Essex was always bigger, obviously, but has more teams at all levels than ever.

I’d say it is hard for cricket obsessives to really judge how popular it is, to be fair.

Maybe I overestimated how popular it was when I was a kid, and I’ll add the caveat that I am no longer involved in a club, but I was very surprised when I worked at a private school for a year that there was little interest in cricket, in state schools the interest is even less