...have struck the right cord with some innovative plans for entertainment off the pitch during this inaugural competition. “Music, competitions and entertainment” are on the agenda and the Under 16s can watch free is they are accompanied by an adult. I’m not sure what the entertainment entails but surely everything is welcome in this type of promotion where the crowd is likely to include a number of non-cricketers who are attracted by the explosive nature of this improvised form of the game. Belfast will not attract the huge crowds that flocked to the Indian Premier League matches or the Stanford Twenty20 competition in Antigua, but it’s great to see some of the promotional razzamatazz has rubbed off at local level. 
Will we see scantily clad cheerleaders dancing in front of the Stormont pavilion; half price beer stands, steaming fast-food stalls and perhaps a guest appearance from the great Van Morrison?
If that’s what in store let’s tell everyone and attract big crowds and give the tournament the explosive atmosphere it deserves off the field in tandem with the action on it.
And perhaps some of the promotional initiatives could be carried into our domestic club competitions? After all, we have now reached the final stages of the four major club competitions and surely these are prestigious occasions that showcase club cricket and warrant something special in the promotional stakes?
The North-West will host their own senior cup final and the Ulster Cup final in the next few weeks while Donemana will carry northern hopes in the Irish Senior Cup final slated for early September. The NCU will stage their senior cup final at Downpatrick in mid August so there’s no shortage of opportunity for the unions to bring these showpiece fixtures into the modern world. After all, it’s not that long ago that the NCU final was enhanced with a corporate luncheon and the presence of a celebrity guest speaker, plus a bevy of neutral spectators. Sadly in recent times both appear to have disappeared, despite the final being reduced to a one-day winner-take-all encounter.
Local cricket has been slow to embrace all the changes that have taken place in sports promotion, but if Cricket Ireland can lay on a selection of off-field entertainment then surely so can the provincial unions?
For basics let’s have proper seating and toilet facilities, shelter in case of rain, and refreshments available on the ground without having to go into packed bars full of people with little or no interest in the match. Proper scoreboards are essential, and no big occasion would be complete without a public address system to keep the spectators fully updated with what’s happening. Bums on seats provide atmosphere and add much to the occasion, so let’s invite school groups free and if necessary, provide play areas for family groups. The traditionalists may not welcome music, but times have changed and we live in an era of party stands where entertainment is the name of the game if we want to get more people to matches.
Every cup final worth its salt should have a match programme and there should be a concerted media campaign building up to the final. All journalists should be personally invited to the match and entertained as part of the official organization. Complimentary competitions and giveaways are always popular with spectators and why not steal a few ideas from the Stanford Twenty20 competition and have a cash prize for the “Play of the Day” and another for a big hit over the clubhouse or a specific target. Yes, these are gimmicks, but let’s get real, the game needs all the help it can get to be more entertaining and Twenty20 cricket has shown the way at the highest level. This has not only livened up the matches, but it has brought in more spectators, and even the purists will admit we need more spectators if cricket is going to prosper at any level.
Let’s see those Donemana, Waringstown, Strabane, Brigade and Civil Service North cheerleaders in action over the next few weeks and make these finals more entertaining on and off the field!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
