Global T20 Canada

For discussion of all aspects of Canadian cricket
Richardstone100
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:04 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by Richardstone100 » Sat Jun 30, 2018 11:46 pm

It’s so frustrating that I have no way to get there from Toronto. I would love to have gone to some games. I'm surprised that they got as many as 700 people.

ray
Posts: 720
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:46 am
Location: Canada

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by ray » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:08 am

timmyj51 wrote:
Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:42 pm
As for 2008: these were test teams. The Global teams have a few first class players and the rest
associate players.
Yeah, I know they were the test teams involved in 2008. My point is that if fans are motivated they will find a way to attend. They don't seem interested in this tournament and probably not CPL fixtures in Florida. Looks like fan interest has moved on from where it was a decade ago.

Richardstone100
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:04 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by Richardstone100 » Sun Jul 01, 2018 10:59 am

ray wrote:
Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:08 am
timmyj51 wrote:
Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:42 pm
As for 2008: these were test teams. The Global teams have a few first class players and the rest
associate players.
Yeah, I know they were the test teams involved in 2008. My point is that if fans are motivated they will find a way to attend. They don't seem interested in this tournament and probably not CPL fixtures in Florida. Looks like fan interest has moved on from where it was a decade ago.
Not true, in my case. I want to go and have tried to go but I can't get there. If it was in Toronto, I would definitely be there and I'm sure there will be others in the same situation.

mautan
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:22 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by mautan » Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:59 pm

A venue as central as TCSCC in North York will see a substantial increase in attendence..I have no doubt about that. To timmyjs point that they were test teams in 2008, I dont believe people do not want to watch all the biggest of IPL and test stars..Gayle, Bravo, Smith, Warner Southee, Miller etc. It is about convinience. And do not forgot the other biggest factor...WC 2018..

Victorian
Posts: 598
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 12:33 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by Victorian » Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:32 pm

I don't accept the convenience factor. Anyone who says that's a reason not to go is using it as an excuse. I was on a ferry with at least 700 people wearing Blue Jays shirts that had gone from Victoria to Seattle to watch baseball. That required showing up 30-60 min. before the ferry left, 1 1/2 hour ferry ride, crossing the USA border (who the hell wants to do THAT!) and driving two hours to Seattle, staying overnight and coming home again the same way. It takes a long time to go anywhere in Toronto. Keep us updated on attendance. There are lots of highlight clips on Youtube.

JSMunn
Site Admin
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:36 am

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by JSMunn » Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:19 am

Richardstone100 wrote:
Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:06 pm
Does anyone have advice on getting there from downtown Toronto? I really want to go but can't find any information on transport anywhere. I've been tweeting and emailing Cricket Canada but they're ignoring me.

It's baffling to me that they're promoting this tournament but also ignoring people who express an interest in it.
I know it is doable by public transport but slow. Google maps is your friend here- departing from City Hall at 9 am today, take the subway to Finch, then get bus 88 - Seneca- King City for a lovely 57 minute ride in sweltering heat, then it is a short walk - enjoy!

9:02 AM
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5G 1P5
Walk
About 6 min , 550 m
9:08 AM
Queen
Underground1Line 1 (Yonge-University) Towards Finch Station
29 min (14 stops) · Stop ID: 13812 ·
9:37 AM
Finch
Walk
About 1 min
9:46 AM
Finch
Bus88Seneca King - NB
57 min (61 stops) · Stop ID: 2334
10:43 AM
15th Sdrd / Dufferin St
WalkWalk
About 3 min , 220 m
10:46 AM

Maple Leaf Cricket Ground
13811 Dufferin St, King City, ON L7B 1K5

JSMunn
Site Admin
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:36 am

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by JSMunn » Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:30 am

Even though I had some involvement in the planning of this, on a personal note I find it hard to get excited about the games. Part of this is that I don't particularly like T20 cricket anyway, but the other aspect is that it is hard to feel any connection with the manufactured teams on display. I really don't care who wins, and apart from the prize money, I doubt if the players do either. The only real interest I can find is seeing how the Canadians do in the games, and what opportunities they get. I probably am not typical of the average cricket follower in that I don't follow the IPL or any of the other T20 tournaments. I prefer to watch cricket where a team has more meaning than just a bunch of players paid to form a group for 4 weeks.
The crowds are still very low, and I would have though it would not be hard to find 2000 people in the greater Toronto area to watch Chris Gayle, Steve Smith, Shahid Afridi etc., so maybe the promotion/ marketing is not up to standard, and the location certainly does not help. If you do go out by public transport you are committing to 3-4 hours of travel for a match. If they actually did get good crowds I suspect the bus to King City would get swamped and you might have a long wait to get a bus home.
I don't think Mercuri expected to be close to breaking even this year, with the idea being that you establish the tournament and build it over a number of years. However you do need to see promising signs of interest to keep going...

mautan
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:22 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by mautan » Mon Jul 02, 2018 11:24 am

So agree with JSMunn..
It is good to be able to convey the comments to someone who may have a voice in organizing.
I too feel it will be hard to relate to any one team. So next year have a team from Ottawa or New York and promote the team in their cities. These cities are closer and some people may travel for weekend games. Ottawa Montreal Toronto have to exploited to some extent.
But the biggest factor is the venue. Do not believe what other people say about how people follow Blue Jays etc..those people have existed for 40 years with millions spent on marketing and fans. Nobody is going to go through those hassles just to see Gayle..and have no interest in who wins. So make it convinient as a venue, make kids admission free, promote the event in schools, get the prices down to $10-15.
And get temp floodlights if possible and play late in the evenings.
I am also positive that all of the above in addition to FIFA are the primary reasons..nothing else.

ray
Posts: 720
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:46 am
Location: Canada

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by ray » Mon Jul 02, 2018 1:53 pm

I don't usually follow this type of T20 tournament. However, it being in Canada and involving Canadian players I have bought the ATN-CBN channel and enjoyed the show for the most part. The spectacle would be helped by full stands (as any other tournament) but no one expected that to be the case. However, I am shocked by the lack of interest. Out of the way or not, there are some international stars on display and probably the best cricket played on Canadian soil in a decade. Yet the organizers felt the need to offer a 50% Canada Day discount and later the same day a "$5 ticket Special" from Cricket Canada Twitter. This seems desperate and I feel badly for Mercuri but it might be a signal that the concept will not work in Canada.

Now with the ICC considering refusing to sanction Associate T20 leagues, it may kill such ventures entirely: http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... agues-year. Got to wonder what Mercuri and Cricket Canada are thinking given these developments.

timmyj51
Posts: 335
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 5:23 pm

Re: Global T20 Canada

Post by timmyj51 » Mon Jul 02, 2018 4:00 pm

I still can't believe everyone refuses to recognize (or admit) the main problem here: NO MAINSTREAM INTEREST IN THE GAME!
Tinkering with location, transportation, ticket prices, promotion, etc., etc. won't matter! Lauderhill, All-Stars
should have proved beyond any doubt cricket cannot be commercially in North America by just appealing to the
ex-pat market. Mercuri may be back next year but I just don't see where any future "growth" is gonna come from. If the expats
won't turn out now they're not gonna turn out in the future. Lauderhill proved that.
No more have turned out after sixteen matches there than they did for the first match. No, there's simply
no future for cricket in North America unless you can find a way to tap into the mainstream sports market, and this truth remains
an incurable blind sport with the cricket community.

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