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Chapter 1: What is the reasoning behind merging the Victorian Big Bash League franchises?
You're speaking directly to those who would have barracked for the Stars and the Renegades. Can you explain to them why their teams will soon be abolished?
Yes, I can. We've thought about this very deeply in the context of BBL's sale, which has been widely reported over the last few months. Cricket Victoria has decided to sell 100% of one of the teams. We're cognisant of the fact that when that team is sold, their name is likely to be changed. So if we use the Renegades as an example... the Renegades would change their name to another team.
We were concerned that the Renegades fans in this instance then may not support the new team, but then also because they'd spent the last 15 years hating the Stars, wouldn't support the Stars.
So what we felt would be most appropriate is to go back to where we were when the Big Bash first started, which is that we had a Victorian team, a team that played in the blue and white and represent all the Victorians.
Chapter 2: How will the changes affect the fans of the Stars and Renegades?
So that's our intention is to go back to the original BBL team that we had and have a team that is for everyone in Victoria that wears the big V blazer. It would still be called Melbourne. It's a city-based team, but ultimately a team that all Victorians connected to Victorian cricket can get behind.
Do you have the right to close these teams and to make these choices without public or member consultation?
No.
Yeah, we do. And I mean, critically, we have consulted members, not all members, but we ran extensive focus groups back in February, January, February around this about, okay, if we sold a team, would you support the other team? All fans said no, they wouldn't. Would you support a team that was a Victorian team? And fans said yes, they would.
Chapter 3: What consultation process was conducted with the members regarding the merger?
And so we have consulted broadly because we We came up with some theories, but we really needed to talk directly to members. So we spoke to Stars and Renegades members. We also spoke to Melbourne or Victorian-based fans of the Big Bash who don't actually support a team either way. They like the Big Bash. They go to Big Bash games, but they don't have a team.
And all three groups said that they, well, certainly the Stars and Renegades fans, that they would not support the other team, but they would support a team that played under a sort of Victorian banner.
Inherent in this, is there a concession that there was no legacy value in the Stars and the Renegades brands that had been built across 15 years?
Not at all. I mean, I'm sure you would see some reaction from some of the fans today.
Chapter 4: What legacy do the Stars and Renegades brands hold for fans?
And, you know, I've got some emails as well. There's some people who it's been part of all of their life. So for you and I, Gerard, we can remember a time before the BBL, but there are a lot of our fans that the BBL has always been cricket to them. So it does mean a lot. The stars and the renegades do mean a lot to a lot of people. And we recognize that, very conscious of that. Yeah.
are you assuming, and based on what you've just told us, are you assuming that everyone will switch their allegiances to the new team playing in Victorian Blue?
No, I think some will switch straight away and be very excited about it. I think that some will come along once they've seen what it looks like and decide how they feel.
Chapter 5: How does the CEO expect fans to react to the new Victorian team?
And I think there's some that may choose to stay with the new team as well. So, no, I think there will be a range of reactions. We hope that the majority will come with us. And we believe that there's a great story there. And when we launch the new brand and the new kit, I think that will excite fans. But it's hard to ask them to get behind something when they don't even know what it looks like.
Will they be the Bushrangers?
Look, we haven't decided on the name yet. The Bushrangers is in play and that's something that holds a lot of emotion and heritage for a lot of fans.
Chapter 6: What heritage considerations are being made in naming the new team?
What we need to consider though is that the Bushrangers is fairly gender specific and as opposed to when the Bushrangers existed previously. Now we've got a WBBL team as well as a BBL team. So we are mindful of that. So we're just working through that at the moment. We've got a few boxes we need to tick with Cricket Australia.
Is this an old idea that you're reintroducing for what we understand is a young fan base in the BBL? Are you sure that the fan base will understand the heritage of what this is?
Some will, some won't. I mean, we've been talking about this for five months. So while this is new to a lot of your listeners, it's not a new concept.
Chapter 7: What metrics are being used to evaluate the success of the two-team model?
This is something that we've been socialising amongst different groups for a while. And as I said, you get the range of reactions. When I quoted it with my children who are Stars and Renegades fans, they initially hated the idea. but then I float it with other people and they absolutely love it. So like all ideas in sport, you get the full spectrum of reactions.
But ultimately, I think it's what the team stands for when they take the field. If they take the field and they're terrible and they finish last, well, clearly the decision is going to be that it was a bad idea amongst the fans.
If they take the field and win it, then I think the view will probably be, well, imagine if we had been a unified Victorian team for the last 15 years, we probably would have won the Big Bash every year. And I think that's the reality of sport. It's up to us to fulfil the promise.
Is there an acceptance here that you haven't been able to make the two-team model work in this town over a lengthy period of time?
It depends on what metric you use. I mean, obviously, I think that we would have liked the Victorian teams to have won more titles, considering how successful both the men and women's team were when they played as Victoria. then going into a split model. But from an attendance perspective, from a membership perspective, from a sponsorship perspective, the teams have been incredibly successful.
You only have to look at the derbies every year to see that we get the biggest attendance game every year. It shows the level of passion for the Big Bash and what that's been built over 15 years by my team, but also the people before us. So, yeah, it depends on what measure... You use, if it's titles, it hasn't been as successful as we'd like.
If it's any other metric, I think it's been unbelievably successful.
That's the counterintuitive measure is the four biggest crowds in BBL history are derbies. There's obviously the 88,000, which stands even to be marveled at now. But this year, 68,000 at the MCG, which is the third biggest crowd in competition history, 110,000 across the two derbies. And you are sacrificing this. Do you understand the risk in that?
Yes, I do. So I think there's two things. We had one game, I think, with the old Big Bash when we were playing as Victoria where we had 80,000 to the MCG. So I think it's possible to achieve big crowds without it being a derby. But the other point to impress is that there will be another Melbourne team. So there is still going to be a derby.
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