Attendances top three million for first time

• A record-breaking 3.15 million people attended international and domestic cricket this summer.
• A total of 907,000 advance sales tickets were sold before Christmas 2018.
• More than 145,000 fans have already registered for ticket ballots for England men’s international cricket in 2020. International ticket ballots at seven counties set to close tonight.

England’s World Cup triumph, the Specsavers Ashes and Vitality Blast deliver record crowds for cricket in 2019.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced its annual domestic and international attendances had broken the three-million barrier for the first time since ECB records began.

The total gate figures for professional cricket this season were over 3.15m - a record-breaking figure for the professional game in England and Wales and an 18 per cent increase on the previous record-holding year, 2017.

Following record levels of advance ticket sales for this summer’s schedule, all venues hosting England men’s international fixtures in the 2020 season will run ticket ballots for the first time as part of a fair and transparent process for fans to access in-demand tickets.

With seven venues’ international ballots set to close this Wednesday, fans are encouraged to enter the ballots quickly if they want to see England stars like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes in action next summer when the men’s team host West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland.

Key attendance and ticket-buying trends this summer included:

• Demand for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, the Specsavers Ashes Test series and Vitality Blast tickets inspired the best-ever advance sales – with 907,000 tickets sold before Christmas 2018.

• This summer’s Specsavers Ashes Test series was effectively sold out by the end of February compared to mid-June for the last home series in 2015.

• A record level of occupancy (92 per cent) across venues staging England men’s bi-lateral international cricket.

• A five per cent increase in occupancy rate across venues staging women’s international cricket – and a 3,200 increase in advance ticket sales on 2018.

• Total attendance for the 2019 Women’s Ashes Series was 12 per cent higher than the 2015 series (24,639 compared to 21,926).

• The Vitality Blast competition achieved its seventh consecutive year of growth in advance ticket sales.

• More than 145,000 people have already registered for ticket ballots with venues hosting England men’s international cricket in 2020. *See below for full details.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “Hosting an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes Test series in the same season gave us a unique opportunity to bring more people to the game – and we’re thrilled that this summer’s record crowds have exceeded all our expectations.

“We owe a special vote of thanks to the England men’s team for matching the women’s team’s achievement in winning the World Cup on home soil – and, of course, to all our domestic and international venues who played such an important role in delivering our biggest ever attendance figures.

“We are committed to capitalising on this opportunity and with the launch of our new five-year strategy Inspiring Generations, which has growing the game at its heart, we have ambitions to replicate the attendance figures cricket has enjoyed this summer across future seasons.

“We’re also excited to see significant growth in advance ticket sales across all venues. With four international teams touring this country next summer, we’re already seeing strong demand for tickets at all venues and we’d urge fans to buy early to avoid missing out on what promises to be another memorable summer of cricket.”

2020 Ticket Ballot Details

All international venues hosting England men’s fixtures in 2020 will run ticket ballots.

The following five counties will close their ballots at 23:59 on Wednesday, 25 September:

Durham, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.

The Warwickshire and Hampshire ballots will close at 5pm on Wednesday, 25 September.

Please note: Lancashire closed their ticket ballot on 20 September. Surrey’s ticket ballot closes on 21 November and MCC will open their Lord’s ticket ballot on 17 December.

For further information or to apply for tickets before the ballots close on 25 September, visit host venue websites.

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