Strong finances boost Cricket Australia heading into World Cup year

Cricket Australia has reported a strong financial position ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.

The organisation reported revenue of almost $300 million which it expected to grow to $360 million by the end of this southern summer season.

The strong financial performance comes on the back of Cricket Australia revealing record participation numbers earlier this year, with the 2013/14 National Cricket Census revealing that more than 1.1 million Australians were involved in the sport.

Over Cricket Australia's four-year reporting cycle (from 2013/14 to 2016/17), the NSO predicts that revenue will climb to a $1.22 billion, up from $736 million in the previous four-year period.

Explaining that the sport has "never been in better health" and that Cricket Australia will invest $30 million into key strategic projects, including grassroots programs around the country, Chief Executive James Sutherland stated "from a fan's point of view, last summer's 5-0 Ashes whitewash (of England), a world record crowd of 91,112 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day, 1.7 million people through the turnstiles to watch cricket over the summer and huge average national TV audiences, are measures which all show the Australian public loves cricket."

Sutherland is also expecting the ICC Cricket World Cup in February and March next year, will further boost the game, adding "I am confident the World Cup, culminating in the March 29 final at the MCG, will be a far bigger event than most Australians expect."

Cricket Australia records its revenue over four-year periods due to the sometimes significant annual fluctuations in income depending on the teams touring Australia.

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