Photo Credit: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) today released its Annual Report for 2021-22.
The report can be accessed here.
- In the 2021-22 financial year, CA reported a net deficit of $5.1 million with significant factors including the costs of staging cricket throughout the pandemic and a challenging UK media rights market impacting this result.
- Australian Cricket devised its new five-year strategy Where the Game Grows including four key pillars for the game’s future prosperity – Brilliant Experiences, Inspirational Players and Teams, Participation Growth and Sustainable Future.
- The Australian men’s team won the home Ashes series 4-0, won the ICC T20 World Cup and toured Pakistan for the first time in almost 24 years, as well as fulfilling its commitment to tour Sri Lanka at a time of significant economic hardship in that country.
- The Australian women’s team won the ICC Women’s World Cup, the multi-format home Ashes series and was ranked No.1 in ODI and T20I cricket.
- KFC BBL11 was the most watched sports league in Australia on a per-game linear TV basis with 506,000 viewers, while every game of the Weber WBBL07 season was televised making it the most watched WBBL ever.
- Despite COVID-19, participation and retention rates in community cricket remained robust with total registered participation increasing by 11% to 598,931. The growth of women and girls cricket continued with registered female participation increasing by 12,000 to 71,300.
- CA completed a record rights agreement with Disney Star to televise international cricket and the W/BBL in India and other regions, emphasising the enduring global value of the summer of Australian cricket.
- The new ICC Future Tours Program was released including a five-Test home series against India putting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the same standing as the Ashes and multi-format women’s series against India and South Africa as well as England.
Further context around the financial result:
- CA again prioritised the need to deliver an almost full schedule of international cricket and W/BBL leagues on behalf of the players, State and Territory Associations and broadcast and commercial partners.
- A year-on-year reduction in total revenue of $14.3 million to $391 million was driven by a reduction in international media rights, partly offset by increased match revenues due to the popularity of the Ashes and improved Covid conditions.
- The overall result was also boosted by a reduction in expenses, driven mainly by lower biosecurity costs than last year, the operation of the player revenue share model and strong cost controls.
- CA’s funding to States and Territory Associations increased by $9.5 million to $112.7 million.
Today’s Annual General Meeting voted in favour of the re-election of John Harnden as a Director and the election of David Maddocks as a Director.
Clea Smith, a former Australian women’s international and current chief executive of The Mind Space, has been appointed to the CA Board as an Independent Director.
Dr Lachlan Henderson, Cricket Australia Chair, said:
“We are again delighted by the spirit of collaboration demonstrated by everyone across cricket including the State and Territory Associations, the players, stadium operators and our various broadcast, commercial and government partners in confronting the challenges the game has faced throughout the global pandemic.
“While there is no doubt these conditions have created financial pressure, we are confident Australian Cricket has set a strong platform from which to bring our new five-year strategy to life.
“We acknowledge that this is a time of considerable change for cricket with the emergence of different formats and competitions across the world, as well as new commercial and partnership opportunities. As an organisation we will confidently embrace the future, while ensuring all our decisions benefit everyone from our elite players through to grassroots participants and volunteers.
“We are enormously proud of the incredible success our women’s and men’s teams have enjoyed over the past year and, particularly, the way they have embraced their roles as ambassadors for Australian Cricket.
“We also owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the hard work and resilience of the community clubs and volunteers who have kept participation and retention rates strong despite the extra burdens created by COVID-19 and, in some areas, devastating floods.
“I would again like to thank Michelle Tredenick and Mel Jones for their outstanding contributions on the Board.”
Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO, said:
“So much has been achieved this year – whether on-field with Ashes success, World Cup triumphs and historic tours away, or off-field with progress to launch our next strategic plan, confirming the Future Tours Program, innovations in the Big Bash Leagues such as the inaugural BBL Draft and exciting new partnerships across our commercial program.
“I am extremely grateful and proud of the many people across Australian Cricket whose hard work and sacrifices ensured we continued to deliver cricket on behalf of our players, fans, commercial and broadcast partners and communities, in the most challenging of circumstances.
“The financial pressures experienced across the past two years have required focus and discipline to deliver efficiency measures and cost savings. I am particularly grateful to our players, match officials and staff who have worked tirelessly despite the added pressure and disruption these measures have sometimes created.
“While cricket suffered some financial headwinds with added biosecurity costs and reduced match revenue, our partnerships with the players, broadcasters, commercial and government partners again demonstrated what can be achieved when we work together and we believe a great platform has been set for future collaboration.
“Entering a summer that features the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a record six international touring teams and the energised W/BBL, I am confident the hard work done over the past season, as well as our new five-year strategic plan, has us well placed to achieve our goal of making cricket a sport for all that makes Australians proud.”
