Photo Credit: Sydney Sixers
The Women’s Big Bash League will kick off with the Sydney Sixers at their traditional home ground, North Sydney Oval, when the seventh edition of the world’s premier female domestic T20 tournament begins on Thursday October 14.
The Sixers will take on the Melbourne Stars in the first of eight Sydney-based matches in the opening week of the fixture that also includes a blockbuster Sydney Smash against cross-town rivals Sydney Thunder on Sunday October 17.
The 59-game WBBL|07 will be taken back to fans around the country this summer with matches to return to metro and regional venues in all six states as the schedule, announced today, reverts to its national, festival-based structure after the WBBL|06 season was played entirely in a bio-secure hub in Sydney.
eCalendar of all fixtures > click here
North Sydney Oval will play host to the first five games across the opening weekend before a further three games are played at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP) in the same seven-day period. The Sixers play games at BISP on October 19 (v. Stars) and November 10 (v. Brisbane Heat).
The competition will then move across the country over the following five weeks, visiting at least 11 venues including, for the first time in WBBL history, Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast.
Matches will also return to the CitiPower Centre, Great Barrier Reef Arena (Mackay, QLD), the WACA Ground, Lilac Hill, Karen Rolton Oval, Centennial Park Oval (Nuriootpa, SA), Blundstone Arena and University of Tasmania Stadium.
A three-game, top four Finals series remains. Finals Series matches will be played on Wednesday, November 23 and Thursday, November 24, with the Final itself to take place in primetime following day one of the historic Vodafone Men’s Test between Australia and Afghanistan in Hobart.
A record 47 matches will be broadcast nationally on television this year – an almost five-fold increase since the league’s inception just seven years ago.
The remarkable growth of the WBBL – Australia’s fourth most-watched sporting league after the KFC BBL, AFL and NRL – was underscored with today’s schedule release.
In the WBBL’s first season, ten matches were televised, followed by 12 in WBBL|02 and WBBL|03, 23 in WBBL|04 and WBBL|05 and 36 last season.
The 47 matches to be televised by Seven and Foxtel in 2021-22 confirms the WBBL’s enormous popularity with Australian audiences and standing as the best women’s T20 league in the world.
All 59 matches will also be streamed live on Kayo Sports and cricket.com.au, and available on ABC Radio.
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, said:
“We’re excited to announce a WBBL|07 schedule today that takes the competition back to our passionate and loyal fans around the country.
“This schedule rewards our fans for their patience, with many not having seen their teams play in person for almost two years. By visiting 13 metro and regional venues across all six states this season, we’re hoping to give as many fans as possible the opportunity to watch their teams live.
“Like all sporting leagues, we remain conscious of the need to be agile in response to the challenges of the pandemic. This schedule provides us with significant flexibility should we need to pivot, and the lessons of WBBL|06 and KFC BBL|10 stand us in good stead should we need to do so.
“We’d like to thank our League partners CommBank, Vodafone and KFC, as well as broadcasters Seven, Foxtel, Kayo, ABC Radio and cricket.com.au, for their unwavering commitment to the WBBL. We also thank all eight Clubs for their passion and dedication and wish them all the best in WBBL|07.”
Further information regarding club memberships and ticket availability will be released shortly.
Sydney Sixers WBBL|07 Fixtures (all AEDT starting times)
v. Stars | North Sydney Oval | Thursday 14 October | 7.40pm
v. Thunder | North Sydney Oval | Sunday 17 October | 1.40pm
v. Stars | Blacktown International Sportspark | Tuesday 19 October | 7.05pm
v. Thunder | WACA Ground | Saturday 23 October | 3.40pm
v. Melbourne Renegades | WACA Ground | Sunday 24 October | 1.40pm
v. Perth Scorchers | Lilac Hill, WA | Saturday 30 October | 5.15pm
v. Melbourne Renegades | Lilac Hill, WA | Sunday 31 October | 1.30pm
v. Hobart Hurricanes | Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide | Saturday 6 November | 10.45am
v. Adelaide Strikers | Centennial Park Oval, SA | Sunday 7 November | 2.15pm
v. Brisbane Heat | Blacktown International Sportspark | Wednesday 10 November | 7.05pm
v. Brisbane Heat | Blundstone Arena, Hobart | Saturday 13 November | 7.05pm
v. Hobart Hurricanes | Blundstone Arena, Hobart | Sunday 14 November | 1.40pm
v. Adelaide Strikers | Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide | Saturday 20 November | 1.40pm
v. Perth Scorchers | Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide | Sunday 21 November | 10.15am
