Cricket Australia delivers strong financial result in year of significant change

Delivering its financial results for the full year ending 30 June 2019, Cricket Australia (CA) today announced a strong result in line with budgetary expectations and CA’s five-year strategy:

• The 2018-19 financial year resulted in an operating surplus of $18.2 million, more than double the operating surplus of the year prior ($8.3 million).



• At 30 June 2019, 705 international and domestic sanctioned matches were played over 255 days of cricket here and abroad.



• More than 2.166m people attended international cricket, BBL and WBBL across the 2018-19 season, making it the highest ever attended cricket season in a non-Ashes year.



• The first women’s international match of the season was the most watched women’s cricket match in Australia, with a peak audience of 1.3 million (average audience 609k) .

Cricket Australia Chair, Earl Eddings, said:



“In my first year as Chair I have been humbled by the commitment, passion and resilience of the thousands of people who work across Australian Cricket. There is no doubt the past 12 months have seen some critical milestones for our organisation and the sport.



“While we will never forget the lessons of the past we want to reassure the Australian cricket community that we have listened, and we – from the players to the administration - are genuinely committed to earning back the trust of cricket fans across the country.



“Having a strong, positive culture is pivotal to our success and culture is all about our people. Engaging Australian Cricket’s workforce on an aligned purpose, and ensuring we are clear about our strategic priorities, has allowed us to take cricket to new heights on and off the field.



“The Australian Women’s Team’s performance is world class - they are role models for current and future generations. The Australian Men’s Team have demonstrated their ambition to win back the hearts and minds of the Australian public and I believe, are well on their way to making Australia proud again.



“We are working closely with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) for the benefit of Australian cricket and collaborating with State and Territory Associations to achieve our objectives. We are working with the Associations to develop a more integrated High-Performance system with a focus on player development and pathways.



“Under new leadership, including 30 per cent change at Board, and 50 per cent change in executive, CA has undergone significant renewal. We will continue to invest in our people and in the communities and partnerships that ensure a sustainable future for cricket,” Eddings said.



Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Roberts, said:



“With a focus on rebuilding trust and improving performance on and off the field, we are pleased to announce another year of strong financial performance.



“Increasing funding for States and Territories over the next four years, from $350 million to $450 million, Australian Cricket has attributed a significant portion of this uplift to community cricket infrastructure and development. This includes 58 new community roles to support cricket in local communities.



“This was further complemented by support from the ACA and players who contributed more than $1.8 million to the Grassroots Cricket Fund for the benefit of 469 community cricket clubs.



“It is critical that we continue to invest in the grassroots to ensure a sustainable future for cricket. Along with volunteers, community participation is the lifeblood of the game.



“Looking back on the year, we have certainly had our challenges but I believe the changes we have made and the direction we have taken will have a long lasting, positive impact on the future of Australian cricket.



We are energised and well positioned for another big year ahead. We will continue to work hard to unite and inspire communities through cricket and strive to keep learning and improving as an organisation,” said Roberts.