The Hundred returns to Cardiff for 2024 after a record year

• The Hundred is back on Tuesday 23 July with Cardiff set to host several games throughout July and August
• Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams kick off at Sophia Gardens on Sunday 28 July
• The Hundred Final will take place on Sunday 18 August at Lord's
• The competition’s partnership with BBC Music Introducing returns, bringing live music; every matchday also features a live DJ
• Season tickets available from today to 2023 ticket-buyers or previous season ticket holders
• For more information, and to sign up for priority ticket access visit thehundred.com

After a record year in 2023, The Hundred will return to Cardiff in 2024, delivering a month of world-class cricket and blockbuster entertainment for all the family.

Cardiff will host its first game on Sunday 28 July, with both the Fire men’s and women’s teams kicking off their competition against Oval Invincibles.

The Fire will then be back at home for the first of three more double-headers on Monday 5 August, taking on Southern Brave, before their final two matchdays, on Thursday 8 August against Northern Superchargers and Saturday 10 August versus Birmingham Phoenix.

The competition itself will start on Tuesday 23 July, with Birmingham Phoenix heading to South London to play Oval Invincibles in the first of 34 matchdays across 26 days of compelling sport at the height of summer.

A record 580,000 fans were in venues across The Hundred in 2023, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition. The Hundred’s blend of high-quality sport and entertainment saw 41% of all tickets sold to families, 23% to juniors and 30% to women.

Alongside world-class cricket, thanks to The Hundred’s ongoing partnership with BBC Music Introducing, fans were treated to memorable music performances from a diverse line-up of artists and DJs including headliners Rudimental, the Lottery Winners, DYLAN and Prima Queen.

Supporters who have been season ticket holders in any of the three years of The Hundred or who bought a ticket in 2023 will be able to buy a season ticket from today. From 13-27 March there will be an exclusive window open to fans who have previously bought tickets to The Hundred. The priority sale window is open from 9-23 April, open to all fans who sign up in advance at thehundred.com. The general sale period begins from 25 April.

Tickets are once again great value, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 3-15 (free for under 3s) and adults starting from £11.

The Hundred Eliminator, where second- and third-placed teams compete for a place in The Hundred Final, is confirmed for Saturday 17 August at The Kia Oval. The Hundred Final will take place on Sunday 18 August at Lord’s.

Welsh Fire captain and England Women’s batter Tammy Beaumont said: “We had a brilliant tournament last year, reaching The Eliminator, and we are fully motivated to try and win the competition this summer. We can’t wait to get back out in front of our Welsh Fire fans at Sophia Gardens in 2024. Last year was the start of something for this group and it will mean a lot to us and our fans if we can go one further.”

Welsh Fire men’s captain Tom Abell said: “I really enjoyed The Hundred in 2023 with Welsh Fire, I feel like it was a really positive season. It is always great to see so many families and kids at games and the support they gave us in Cardiff was fantastic. On the pitch, it was great for us to be more competitive and I’m looking forward to some more great matches at Sophia Gardens in 2024.’’

The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, will be back across both the men’s and the women’s competitions ahead of the 2024 summer as the 16 teams – including Andrew Flintoff’s Northern Superchargers men’s team – prepare their bids for The Hundred title.

For the first time, selection in the women’s competition will now take place exclusively through retention, The Hundred Draft and the Vitality Wildcard Draft. Salaries in the women's competition have increased by £100,000 per team, with the top salary bracket now at £50,000.

All games will again be live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com.

You can also follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Welsh Fire:

Welsh Fire are the Cardiff-based team in the 100-ball competition The Hundred. The Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams will each compete against seven other teams throughout August. The opening double-header of the season is at Sophia Gardens on Sunday 28 July. Welsh Fire made it to The Eliminator in the women’s competition last year.

Highlight statistics from The Hundred 2023:

• In year three of The Hundred, the competition sold 580,000 tickets - an increase on years one and two, and a record figure for the competition.
• The percentage of female ticket buyers was 30%, 23% were juniors, and 41% were families.
• The women’s competition in year three had The Hundred’s highest ever attendance, breaking 2022’s global record for total attendance at a women’s cricket competition – over 300,000 fans were in attendance for the women’s competition.
• The attendance for the final for the women’s competition was 21,636, a UK domestic record for a women’s game.
• There were record attendances at Utilita Bowl (Women’s), Sophia Gardens (Women’s), Emirates Old Trafford (Both), Headingley (Both), Lord’s (Women’s) and Trent Bridge (Both).
• The average number of television viewers per men’s match was up 8% in year three to 400K, while the average number of viewers per match for the women’s competition on Sky Sports grew 20% from 2022 to 132K.
• Eight of the women’s games featured in the top 10 most watched women’s domestic sports broadcasts on Sky Sports in 2023 (the other two are WSL fixtures). Overall, daily viewing hours were up 30% to over 2.5m hours.
• The Hundred’s digital channels continued to grow in year three with 70m video views, 50% growth on 2022. In addition, merchandise sales across The Hundred were up 21% on 2022.

About The Hundred:

The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable cricket competition that fuses world-class cricket with blockbuster entertainment.

Combining a short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.

The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side: Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Each teams features some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners.

Welsh Fire fixtures (all games men’s and women’s double-headers)

Thursday 25 July: Manchester Originals v Welsh Fire, Emirates Old Trafford, women 15:00, men 18:30