Sydney, May 27: Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has said they are taking steps to make sure cricket stays the favourite sport for modern-day Australia as challenges to the game''s popularity continue to grow.
Sutherland declared cricket’s days of being profoundly ‘skewed towards the male Anglo’ demographic must end if it is to maintain its place as the nation''s favourite game.
“We, like every other sport, are conscious of the huge population here and the diverse demographic within it,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Sutherland, as saying.
“''We want to be Australia''s favourite sport and, following from that, we want to be a sport for all Australians. Making the game accessible to people of different backgrounds, who haven''t necessarily been brought up with cricket, is really important to us,” he added.
“Some of our research suggests that our game is skewed quite heavily into the male Anglo - and perhaps an older - demographic. It''s really important we don''t lose sight of the shifts that are happening in the Australian population and we make sure the game remains contemporary. We need to keep in touch with today''s Australia,” he said.
Sutherland downplayed the threat posed by other sports, but did say the success of the Big Bash League Twenty20 competition was a critical component of the game''s strategy, as it provided a ‘broader pipeline’ for talented youngsters to stay in cricket, rather than be lured to other sports.
He added: “Playing for your country is the highest honour. But there''s only 11 people playing for the Australian men''s team at any one time. One of the things, through state cricket and now the Big Bash League, with its popularity and exposure, is that we''ve got a broader pipeline and greater opportunity for talented young athletes to choose cricket.”
© ANI
