Monthly Archives: November 2013

Cricket, along with rugby, has always been a very popular sport in Australia. It continues to gain in popularity each and every year. In fact, in the next four-year cycle the sport is expected to reach A$1.08 billion in revenue. That is an incredible amount but comparing it to the current A$684 million makes it even more astonishing. All of this equates to about a 63% growth in revenue over the next four years.

As a side note, the estimates are always done on four-year cycles because so much of the annual revenue is dependent on which national teams come to make a tour of Australia. A match against England would naturally generate more revenue than a match against many of the other nations in the world. The betting on games like this also increases, such is the excitement behind big matches such as this.

Growth without Stellar Performance

What’s even more compelling is that the country is experiencing this revenue growth even with rather lacklustre performances. The team has struggled in recent matches against England, but the popularity has not diminished one bit. Most people believe that it should not take long for the team to turn it around though.

So how has Cricket Australia been so successful on the revenue side? Well, one way they have done this is that they have been very successful at managing their broadcasting rights. Nearly two thirds of the projected revenue is now coming from the revenues generated from the broadcasting rights that were sold.

More and more Australians are tuning into the cricket matches so that number will surely go up the next time the broadcasting rights are up for negotiation. If Cricket Australia can just get back to their winning ways, there is no telling how much they can grow the brand. Worldwide broadcasting would be the next giant leap in terms of potential revenue generation for Cricket Australia.

Cricket is a sport that is enjoyed on a subcontinental level. In many of the smaller countries, it is the national pastime. In other countries, it may not be the national sport, but it certainly has the same loyal following. Practically every country in the world participates in this sport at least to some degree and now the Vatican has joined the mix!

Cricket In The Vatican

In a surprising turn of events, not only did the Vatican form their own cricket club, which was named the St. Peter’s Cricket Club, but the team went on to challenge the Church of England’s cricket club to a match at Lord’s. It’s a holy cricket match that will surely catch the eye of the entire world. Officials are absolutely ecstatic at how popular the sport is and the response that they are getting.

The original idea to form a Vatican sponsored cricket club was pretty simple. They wanted to give their priests, as well as seminarians, an alternative option for any sporting desires. In addition to that, it gives the Vatican an opportunity to communicate to the world in a different way. In essence, it is a new way to engage with the other religious denominations of the world. Even though Pope Francis prefers football, it’s only a matter of time before he gets behind the idea.

The Vatican’s match with the Church of England and possible future matches will be scheduled around September of every year. The reason for this is that this is a time of holiday for the seminarians. It will give everyone the opportunity to participate in the event.

Further initiatives are happening around the world as different religious denominations are forming their own cricket clubs. Everyone is seeing the potential here to create a type of sporting diplomacy. What all of the church officials hope for is that this sport can actually help to unite the different religions by using the sport of cricket as the binding force.