Sydney WBBL teams to charge for tickets

Cricket fans will have to reach for their wallets to attend stand-alone WBBL matches in Sydney this season for the first time in tournament history.

Sixers

Fans must pay to watch some games of the Sydney Sixers' defence of the WBBL title. (AAP)

The WBBL has attracted thousands of spectators, but will they pay to come through the gate?

That's the question the competition is seeking to answer as it asks cricket fans to reach for their wallets to attend stand-alone WBBL matches in Sydney this season in a first for the tournament.

Both the Sydney Sixers and Thunder are confident they'll be able to capitalise on the growing popularity of the sport, charging for matches where the women's team is the sole attraction.

"The decision to ticket the WBBL is in line with the value we believe the elite matches deliver and our match-day experiences will reflect that," Sixers general manager Jodie Hawkins said.

Adults will be charged $10, concessions are $5 while admission is free for 15-year-olds and under.

The full-season trial will be used to gauge the product's value before the WBBL becomes a separate competition for 2019-20, moving to a dedicated October-November window.

Sixers bowler Lauren Cheatle indicated there was no concern among the players that ticketing the games would adversely affect crowd numbers.

"The girls are really excited to have our matches ticketed for the first time, it's a great product for the game," she said.

Total attendance for last season's WBBL jumped 25 per cent to about 150,000 with record match-day crowds.

North Sydney Oval will be the first ticketed stand-alone WBBL match when the Sixers face the Perth Scorchers on December 7 ahead of the two Sydney franchises meeting the following day.

Last year's Sydney derby recorded a season-high crowd of 16,380.


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Source: AAP


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