Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds

[Hortical]

Here's another topic on the issue. Attendance at the World Cup has been poor, there are few exceptions, such as the Windies matches. Poor marketing appears to be the main culprit, and some of us who are in denial, may finally come to our senses, since the article is written by a West Indian, instead of an Englishman.

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3><DIV class=mxb><DIV class=sh>Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds </DIV></DIV></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><DIV class=mvb><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=416 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><DIV class=mvb><SPAN class=byl>By Paresh Soni </SPAN>
<SPAN class=byd>BBC Sport in Antigua </SPAN></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</DIV>

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><DIV> <DIV class=cap>West Indies want more of their people to turn out and support the team</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

World Cup bosses have only themselves to blame for poor attendances, says Caribbean cricket writer Tony Becca.

"The World Cup was not promoted as a West Indian World Cup but as a World Cup for the world.

"They went for north American tourists so much that they ignored the local population," said Becca, who has been covering cricket for 34 years.

"I kept telling them that all the World Cups I've been to, the majority of the crowd has been local."

He continued: "This is why the costing was so high, they assumed huge numbers would come from abroad and they would not need local support."

Grounds in the Caribbean are famous for the vocal home fans, who use musical instruments and conch shells to create a cacophony of noise.

There is also a tradition of other entertainment outside the boundary edge, particularly dancing.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibStdQuote><DIV><DIV class=mva><DIV id=q1></DIV>I would like to ask Caribbean people to come out and support this wonderful event <DIV id=q2></DIV><BR clear=all></DIV></DIV><DIV class=mva><DIV class=mva>West Indies Players' Association chief Dinananth Ramnarine</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

But International Cricket Council rules have all but eliminated that and Becca says the effect is deeply saddening.

"When we bid for the World Cup in 1997 we sold it as a Caribbean-style event, which is what this is not," he added.

"I was at my hotel the other day and a pair of English people were expressing their disappointment.

"They said they had heard about cricket in the Caribbean and had saved up to come here but what they had experienced on this trip was like sitting at Lord's."

The West Indies Players' Association, meanwhile, has joined captain Brian Lara in urging the Caribbean public to turn out and support their team.

West Indies lost their first two Super 8 matches and have a crucial game against Sri Lanka coming up in Guyana on Sunday.

Around 12,000 of the 14,000 tickets available have been sold, a marked contrast to the sparse attendances at several recent matches.

"Sunday's match at the Guyana National Stadium will be a huge occasion and the word is that the Guyanese public is coming out in heavy numbers to lift the players' spirits and hopefully propel them to victory.

"I would like to see the rest of the region doing likewise," said Wipa president Dinanath Ramnarine.

"On the whole, I would like to ask Caribbean people to come out and su

[Hortical]

RE: Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds

Lukewarm Windies and empty seats



Saturday, March 31, 2007



After their efficient run in the first round in Jamaica, Caribbean cricket fans had a right to expect that their West Indies team would be a force to be reckoned with in the Super Eights of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

So far, they have seen the West Indies go down to disappointingly tame defeats to Australia and New Zealand in heir first two games of the tournament's second stage.

Very different from the totally focused and determined performance we saw from Mr Brian Lara and his men in that opening game against Pakistan at Sabina Park two weeks ago.



All is not lost. But in order to make the final four (semi-finals) of the World Cup, the West Indies will have to regain that focus and will to win that took them past Pakistan. They will have to do it immediately, for come tomorrow in Guyana they will be facing Sri Lanka, one of the strongest sides in the competition. Both teams will be treating tomorrow's contest as a 'must win', but moreso the West Indies, having already lost twice.



Cricket watchers will remember that in their lone Super Eights game to date, Sri Lanka lost by one wicket in a thriller against South Africa, despite a sensational four wickets in four balls by their fast bowler Mr Lasith Malinga.



Hopefully, West Indies will overcome Sri Lanka and take the same 'must win' attitude into their remaining Super Eight games against South Africa, England and Bangladesh.



We trust that even if they do not make it to the semifinals - after all, winning four games in a row against top flight opposition is a very tough task - the West Indies team will at least play the kind of cricket that will make their fans proud.



Which bring us to a related issue: A disconcerting factor for many of us watching on television was the large number of empty seats at the new and impressive Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. That was the case even on Tuesday, which was declared a public holiday in Antugua & Barbuda to mark the opening Super Eights game.



It seems to us that in the same way the fans would have expected a good showing from the West Indies team in the Super Eights, so too the team, having done so well in Jamaica, would have had every right to expect wholehearted support from their fans.



The value of such support cannot be overstated. Those of us who were there will readily testify to the 'lift' the West Indies team got from the thousands of their adoring supporters at Sabina Park in that tense contest against Pakistan and also against Zimbabwe and Ireland.



We readily appreciate that the high costs associated with attending the games and the many restrictions imposed by the ICC have been a turn-off for many. It is also a fact that security considerations have made the acquisition of a ticket for World Cup games more of a chore than West Indian cricket fans are used to.



But in the context of a first ever World Cup in the Caribbean and given the felt need to support the regional team, surely our brothers and sisters in Antigua could have made more of an effort.



But perhaps we are being unfair to the Antiguans. After all, there are much less than 100,000 people in Antigua & Barbuda. Even allowing for visitors and West Indies supporters from other islands, the home population would have had to provide the bulk of those entering the 20,000-seat stadium for World Cup games. Given the costs and inconveniences involved, that's a hard ask for so small a population.



In retrospect, it would appear that organisers erred badly when they chose not to have Super Eight games in those English-speaking Caribbean countries with the largest populations - Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

[Shatta]

RE: Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds

Worst Indies mi hear people a call them and what this brings home to many of us is that we don't value our own.



People are coming to see and experience our vibes and we are busy trying to sell them theirs that they are running from.

We don't believe in our own thing and mi glad say people a see it first hand as mi did feel like it was a hopeless cause talking about it anymore.



Everybody eats is the motto and guy fi know dat!! Jamaica full of vibes so guy know not to even think of losing there and mi glad the rest of the caribbean see what we bring to the table when dem hate pon wi so.



Its a energy and spirit of fight along with resistance that you feel the minute you touch Jamaica and you know better than to let down you gaurd.



Time for a new generation of leaders and yours truly nah ask fi the baton anymore a take mi a take it from guy as dem no believe in a wi things so we just ago push them to the side and deal with it.



Talk about second-class mentality. Dem push dem own to the side for foreigners, you think anyone else ago do that? Now dem a talk bout dem ago call election after World Cup. Lets see dem do that and see if dem no lose



respect

Time for new blood and we have to kick the old blood out



respect

[Willi]

RE: Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds

Whaaapen Warbus?

Dem tink we easy. The 3rd eye can bea blessing or a curse, as it puts us way ahead of our time...so frustrating that others cant see what is obvious to us.

Neva mind.