NICK HOWSON AT TRENT BRIDGE: The ICC's deluge of sponsors and partners were given first refusal on tickets - but have failed to show up.
In tribute to the Pakistan fan dressed as the Riddler for the clash with England, here is a poser for you: what is big, blue, elusive and impossible to miss? And no, it is not a pulsating Jofra Archer in full flight.
For anyone who has watched either of the World Cup matches at Trent Bridge, the answer is an obvious one. And that is half the point.
Located at all 11 grounds during this tournament, including in Hound Road stand in Nottingham which is located in a prominent position behind the bowler's arm and is full view of television cameras and those in attendance, is rows of seats set aside for the ICC's raft of sponsors and partners.
Cricket's world governing are braced for record-breaking revenue from the 2019 event, partly thanks to the eight-year broadcast deal worth in excess of £1.5 billion which has just reached the half-way stage.
More than 3.5 million applications for the 800,000 available seats also ensured the ICC have maximised profits from the 10-team tournament, which increases the number of big-ticket matches not least with hosts England having nine games across the country.
Are fans being taken for a ride by the ICC?
Ticketing has been one of the few blotches on this tournament's copybook and is a curse which follows major sporting events on these shores like a bad smell. The Olympic Games in 2012 and the 2015 Rugby World Cup were also afflicted in a similar fashion.
Many of those who bought a ticket for the West Indies' clash with Pakistan missed the majority or all of play, and not just because the Champions Trophy holders were beaten before 2pm BST. Plenty were unable to gain entry to Trent Bridge for the start of play, while some gave up altogether.
Refunds have been offered but if that was the only ticket you were able to afford, not least purchase through a competitive buying process, then your memories of this World Cup will not be of how you broke even.
The difficulty of getting hold of tickets has now been further exacerbated by the raft of empty seats, many of which have been set aside to the more than two dozen of the ICC's commercial partners. At Trent Bridge for England's second game of the tournament, you could not ignore the rows of seats which went unfilled throughout play.
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Granted, we're not talking an entire stand or even tier of the stadium - it was around 50 on this occasion - but for a match advertised as sold out it is a poke in the eye for those supporters who strived to attend and whose friends or family were unable to join them.
The ICC advertised ballot applicants as having first access to tickets, with those who were initially unsuccessful allowed to purchase seats in a 'priority window'. It appeared, at least initially, that dedicated fans had been looked after.
But the reality is somewhat different. In fact, the ICC offered their sponsors and partners tickets to each of the 48 matches this summer before they went on sale. Each company were asked how many they would like for certain matches, with the ICC doing their best to accommodate. Then the fans were taken into account.
The allocation is part of the deals the ICC have signed with these various companies, which include the likes of Emirates, Coca-Cola, Veuve Clicquot. But quite clearly, the system is being abused.
Such is the volume which have been requested by at least one major sponsor, they have offered me tickets for any match I wish to attend during the tournament. Some tickets have been handed back, allowing them to be released on general sale - some as recently as the evening before England v Pakistan - but it has only eased the problem rather than cured it.
Steve Elworthy (left) is leading the organisation of the tournament
The ICC are constantly reviewing the number of no-shows and did remind all partners to ensure they turned up before the tournament started. Another reminder is imminent though there will not be individual prompts to repeat offenders.
For a television audience estimated at 1.5 billion across these six-and-a-half weeks empty seats at a tournament sold as the biggest and best edition is an embarrassment. Social media is already awash with angry fans who are scattered across the world rather than at the game itself.
For the atypical cricket fan, the knowledge they have been relegated to second behind sponsors is a real kick in the teeth. Will those who have paid £395 for the privilege of watching the final at Lord's be tempted to do the same again aware they are not the priority? Prices at the bars, concessions and merchandise stands have already relegated them to the consumer as it is.
This 2019 event might well be the best executed World Cup in living memory, and revenue wise among the most lucrative in history for the ICC. But it might be the summer when cricket's governors, whose supporters are already on a precipice, lose the total confidence of their core fanbase. And that is a price they can't afford to pay.
Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk
Posted by Hamihi Duncan on 14/07/2019 at 10:51
Heaps of empty seats at Lord’s ICC World Cup final
Posted by Peter on 11/06/2019 at 12:33
I think that a lot of the empty seats are down to:- 1 The website doesn't work. 2 Many people like to chose their seat (or at least the stand) rather than be lumbered with sitting in the June sun for 7 or 8 hours. 3 The website left it too late to introduce the "print at home" option
Posted by Les Bone on 07/06/2019 at 09:27
I agree with an earlier comment that the extortionate prices of tickets is a cause of empty seats. I am not prepared to pay them and will sit and watch Sky instead. You cannot beat being at the game but there is a limit on what I will pay.
Posted by Noshi on 06/06/2019 at 21:26
I applied 4x, also a member for LCCC, I was not successful all 4 x.. we was really disappointed in not getting the Pak vs Ind match, we ended up getting Pak vs Afg closer to home, as we have young kids going to school... really disheartened this time round!
Posted by John Wells on 06/06/2019 at 21:01
I highlighted the fault with the IT booking system as early as April 2019 as soon as they went on sale. I got a preedited reply bearing no resemblance to the IT booking system with Gglib comments on the preseason warm up games. Two areas of Trent Bridge:’restricted view’ (£40) and Bronze (£55) both selected would not load onto my basket. Why the IT system said my basket was full. I tried to set this up independently (daughter and CWC19 Boss At TB) both did as followed- reqd , and independently they met the same fault! A joke the whole system. I therefore gave up!!. JNW
Posted by mayank on 06/06/2019 at 20:46
What would serve a real lesson is if the fans just en-masse stopped turning up for these matches, because its a real insult to be treating with such disdain by the organisers time and again, when without the fans - no sponsors would even look twice at such events ! Alas that won't happen and the story would repeat time and again...
Posted by Phil on 06/06/2019 at 10:39
ICC need to take into account how to grow the fan base and number of young kids playing cricket or the sport will die at grassroots level. No live cricket on domestic TV, high ticket prices for World Cup, Ashes and One Day games plus half full stadiums when real fans are unable to get hold of tickets...totally incompetent
Posted by Tanveer Zahoor on 05/06/2019 at 18:50
Getting hold of tickets has been a nightmare. Official icc site shows plenty tickets available but adding them to a basket is not possible
Posted by Tanveer Zahoor on 05/06/2019 at 18:44
Getting hold of tickets has been a nightmare. Official icc site shows plenty tickets available but adding them to a basket is not available
Posted by David Beere on 05/06/2019 at 11:31
This rings only too true. Two memories of Lords tests in recent years. In one test a whole swathe of people left after tea-presumably when their paid -for packages (by employers or whoever) .In another three people behind me seemed largely amused by popping Champagne corks (at least three) on to the outfield.They knew nothing about cricket. "Refreshed' they had left by tea. It is patently obvious that money talks in every sense in cricket.Only the well off can afford to go to Tests /ODIs .County clubs totally in hock to ECB/TV companies. In urban areas the game is on the way out. It may survive in the South Asian community and in comfortably off villages but the majority of children neither see the game on TV or can play it anywhere. On this matter only I find myself in agreement with Geoffrey Boycott. And, no,I am not a Major and I do not come from Tunbridge Wells.
Posted by John Bambury on 05/06/2019 at 10:53
Watching India v South Africa and would loved to have been there . What a joke the stadium is half empty so looked for tickets available and they are £400 on line I hope the robbing bastards who have them all get stuck with them
Posted by Tony Trevor on 05/06/2019 at 08:54
So that was it; we were watching the England/ Pakistan game on C4, and noticed the gaps in the crowd. We thought maybe there were tickets up for grabs for some games , but not so according to this article. It all becomes clear. What is not clear is the fact that those of us without BT sport, Sky or whatever have to endure highlights in the early hours of the morning. Even 10 pm would be better. If it were Darts or Snooker, we would be better served.
Posted by Steve Kirk on 04/06/2019 at 17:49
Just a thought does anybody have any idea how many "unused " tickets finished up with touts ?
Posted by Steve Kirk on 04/06/2019 at 17:37
A major Sports governing body treating its fanbase with contempt . Who'd have thought it ? Fortunatley I wasn't tempted by tickets at £150 a pop .
Posted by David Wright on 04/06/2019 at 15:43
I was at Trent Bridge yesterday and was underwhelmed by the CWC experience. There were many more than 50 empty seats. The top of the Radcliffe road stand was only one third full. Disgraceful. The between ball entertainment of a screeching guitar player was truly appalling. Remove it from further matches now!!! The atmosphere was building nicely as the game involved and the inane demand to shout England or Pakistan from the Lady and gentleman on the screen was ridiculous and actually, was detrimental to the atmosphere! ICC need to think again, they can correct quickly before we get too deep into the tournament. Finally, why was no-one challenging the numerous touts outside the ground?
Posted by Richard on 04/06/2019 at 13:51
Surely part of the reason for the empty seats was the extortionate prices being charged. My sons and I would have been there (in the upper Radcliffe Road stand) had the tickets been the ordinary ODI price of £70-80 each but for this fixture they were £120, absolute rip-off and we showed our disgust by staying away.
Posted by Chris on 04/06/2019 at 13:23
Nothing changes. At the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean the problem was just the same. We received bad press for not selling tickets and having empty stands but when over 400 of the best seats are given away to sponsors, many in India to small businesses distributing products of corporate sponsors, they are never going to be filled. Pricing didn't help either but the best seats would have been sold if available.
Posted by Paul Reet on 04/06/2019 at 13:04
I had paid for tickets for the England match against Pakistan and I was told on Friday my tickets had not been released by the provider. I had to get a refund. I am an English expat living in NZ and my Dream was to see England play live in England. My hopes have been dashed. I am only here for a short while and I deliberately planned this trip around the World Cup. When I booked the tickets back in October the ICC website directed me to Viggagio as this was the designated company for tickets I understood. However loving following the cricket online though I can’t be there. I am wondering if people have similar stories about the ticket situation?
Posted by David Mullan on 04/06/2019 at 12:29
Unfortunately, empty prime location seats has been a feature of many major sporting events in recent years. Very sad particularly for the true fans who would love to be there and ultimately detrimental to the sport.
Posted by JohnFlower on 04/06/2019 at 10:48
That’s just stupid the real fans don’t get in part of the Radcliffe road stand we’re nearly empty in the morning
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