Attendance records tumbled at the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup final, with 86,174 fans turning up to watch Australia beat India and win their fifth title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the decision by Channel Nine to broadcast such a momentous match on its secondary channel prompted criticism in some quarters.
The concerted marketing campaign to #FilltheMCG on International Women’s Day paid off as numerous milestones were reached at the stadium, although the figure fell agonisingly short of the world record for a women’s sporting event.
75,000 tickets were sold in advance of the match, and with on-the-day turn-ups, that figure swelled beyond 85,000. But the figure was shaded by the 90,815 who attended the 1999 Fifa Women’s World Cup final at California’s Rose Bowl.
“It’s a gamechanger,” retired Australian great Alex Blackwell said on ABC Grandstand. “I think it sets the standard or the bar as high as possible for the next sporting event – men or women – in this country that you would fill the stadium wherever that might be.”
Sporting events across the world have recently been cancelled or postponed due the coronavirus outbreak, but this match was not under threat and any fears about the spread of the virus were not in evidence at the MCG.
Otherwise, conditions were ideal for a massive crowd. The match featured the hosts against the sport’s biggest draw, with prematch entertainment provided by pop superstar Katy Perry. Even Melbourne’s unpredictable weather did its bit, gracing the occasion with clear skies, in contrast to a damp semi-final day in Sydney.
Despite missing the overall record for a women’s sporting event, the crowd at the MCG passed a host of other benchmarks.
The total beats the estimated 80,000 who watched Australia win the 1997 ODI World Cup final in Kolkata, the previous record for a women’s cricket match. The Australian record for a standalone fixture was also smashed, beating the 53,034 figure for fans at the 2019 AFLW grand final at the Adelaide Oval. The previous highest crowd for a Women’s T20 World Cup final was 12,717 in 2009.
But while there was plenty to celebrate at the venue there was room for criticism elsewhere. Channel Nine were castigated by AFLW pioneer Susan Alberti for broadcasting the final on their secondary channel Gem to avoid a scheduling clash with the six o’clock news and Married At First Sight.
“I think it is disgusting it is going to be on Gem and not on the main channel,” Alberti was reported to have said at an MCG function.
That tonight’s @T20WorldCup final is on @9Gem not @Channel9 - Sue Alberti & Elizabeth Broderick term it “disgusting”.
— Sam Lane (@SamJaneLane) March 8, 2020
Room roars agreement after just hearing from the great @BillieJeanKing @malechampions #T20WorldCup #Australia #India #T20WorldCupFinal #FILLTHEMCG #IWD20 #IWD pic.twitter.com/3jfMKECLAM
