Designated Centers for Sport Rejuvenation and Stadia Performance Evaluation.

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Source: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-performance-management-chart-keywords-icons-image44846962


It’s been a while since we have had a discussion on something related to Cricket from a futuristic point-of-view as the International Cricket Council has done this year, introducing Test Championship to revive the traditional format of the sport which is an integral part of the ICC Future Tour Programme launched in June 2018. The idea to have designated centers for playing Test Cricket has been the topic of the moment considering various factors. Few of the critical factors and probably the most important ones would be the crowd-turn-up and ticketing revenue, which has been the case not just for cricket but also for some of the other sporting disciplines such as Badminton, Tennis, etc.

Mr. Virat Kohli, expressed his views in the post-match press conference, about selecting 5-venues beforehand. It's a challenge for any team knowing where they would be playing with an added advantage, because the teams always work on their SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threat), which allows them to pick-and-choose their armory and prepare accordingly. The idea might have got ICC and the BCCI thinking from the Indian cricketing scenario perspective, and why not when India is leading the ICC World Test Championship.

Source: ICC World Test Championship 2019 Standings (23rd Dec 2019) https://www.icc-cricket.com/world-test-championship/standings

The thought for designated centers can be seen when a team is set to visit Australia, England or New Zealand where “test matches” are scheduled at a specific venue (not taking away anything from other countries & respective venues). For instance, I compared : Adelaide Oval | Lords Cricket Ground | Eden Gardens

Adelaide Oval (2010-2019): 10 Test-Matches have been played | 9/10 matches resulted in a Win | 1/10 matches resulted in a Draw, i.e., Test # 2061 Australia vs South Africa. [Source: ESPNCricInfo]

Source: ESPNCricInfo
Source: ESPNCricInfo

Lords Cricket Ground (2010-2019): 21 Test-Matches have been played | 17/21 matches resulted in a Win | 4/21 matches resulted in a Draw, i.e., England v Sri Lanka (Test # 1995, Test # 2124, Test # 2205), and England v Australia Test # 2355 [Source: ESPNCricInfo]


Source: ESPNCricInfo
Source: ESPNCricInfo

Eden Gardens (2010-2019): 7 Test-Matches have been played | 6/7 matches resulted in a Win | 1/7 matches resulted in a Draw, i.e., India v Sri Lanka (Test # 2281) [Source: ESPNCricInfo]

Source: ESPNCricInfo
Source: ESPNCricInfo

BCCI may have thought in the similar lines to make Test-Matches much more interesting, instead of being labeled as just another match in India. The governing body has been able to work on building stadiums/facilities in all possible locations playing a helping hand in Grassroots Development, considering all political & geographical reasons along with personal benefit. With things set to change with Ex-Indian Captain and a born leader in charge of this esteemed organization, some progressive signs seem be roaming around Indian Cricket. Simultaneously, there is a negative side of whatsoever we do or we plan to do which definitely come with various reasons, challenges & possible solutions out of which some are valid, and some are not-sure one's. The idea of having 5-designated centers to play test-cricket is one such thing going around in the news. So what does it do? and how many doors does it open? for

(A) Players,
(B) ICC,
(C) National Governing Body & respective associate bodies,
(D) Viewers,
(E) Broadcasters &
(F) Sponsors.

Purely from a player’s perspective, they would have to work extensively on preparing for matches scheduled at listed venues declared by the respective governing bodies of the Nation. There would be extensive detailing of who is the best choice for playing on that sort of a pitch, in that condition considering the weather when matches are scheduled. Players then would have to work even more to be able to prove their worth on a particular type of environment which the designated centers would bring in. Fitness aspects and high performance management aspects would kick-in extensively to ensure the bar of performance is raised or maintained under such circumstances. 


Source: https://www.gettyimages.in/


Let’s take the most recent example (India), the 2nd Test Match against Bangladesh which is also the 1st ever Pink-Ball Test Match in India, the city was decorated with Pink to make it feel like it is not just cricket (viewership impressions 59,26,000 for 2nd Test-Pink Ball as per BARC weekly reports). Players had to quickly adapt to change in atmosphere, color of the ball, the movement of the ball session vise, while batting, bowling & fielding.



Secondly, from a World Cricket Governing Body per say, it would be a performance review of all the Cricketing Nations to organize World Cups, ICC Tournaments, etc., with an additional attribute for judgement also opening up marketing opportunities which may include attributes-for-judgement such as, the quality of Stadium. Taking reference from the Performance Management System concept from Human Resource Management, Rating Scale method would help us evaluate the ICC Stadium of the Year, based on the feedback from the Management Team (Host & Visitng Country), Players & Support Staff (Host & Visiting Country), Sponsors, ICC Officials, ICC Umpires, Officials (Host & Visiting Country), Journalists/Media Professionals (Host & Visiting), Broadcasters & last but not the least our fans (Host & Visiting) to have a fair selection mechanism and also to have a transparent process in place. Each stadium, would be marked on a scale of 10 (1 being the lowest & 10 being the highest) and some of the parameters which can be part of the judging criteria (each being rated individually on the rating scale of 10) can be,

(A) Facility Ambiance,
(B) Amenities,
(C) Cleanliness,
(D) Viewership Experience (in-stadia),
(E) Merchandise Sales (in-stadia),
(F) Parking Easiness,
(G) No. of activities & participation (in-stadia), etc.

The ratings would be then give us an average number b/w 1-10 which can be the Overall Performance Score for that venue for a particular match. The similar system will be followed for each of the matches for different countries as per the schedule and by the end of the cricketing season, the ICC will have an excel filled with scores for each venue summing up the total along with the average score based on the number of matches conducted at the venue, hence giving us the ICC Stadium of the Year. How would it help the National Governing Bodies?

From a National Governing Body perspective (in this BCCI), there is a possibility of creating a Stadium Performance Rating System (SPRS) where the cricket arena’s will be judged on the listed of parameters, deeply thought & discussed by the International Cricket Council. It is a combination of Rating Scale Method and 360 Degree Performance Review Method from the concept of Performance Management System, to evaluate the performance of a particular venue, for them to be eligible for being listed in the “Best Stadiums of the Year” category so they can be further considered for the designated center for playing Test matches for the agreed time frame. It is similar to what an "appraisal cycle or performance review" in corporate environments which would determine your selection for other/higher set of tasks & future growth, where we get judged & share feedback from multiple angles on multiple fronts. It is an administrative nightmare of people who think running and organizing sport is easy & a piece of cake, to work on implementation of such system since there are political influences & benefits to be thought of before.

This would very useful in judging our own performance as BCCI & Team India by evaluating factors, both on and off the field. Giving the fans & everyone associated with it a lifetime experience, while giving them a chance to give a feedback along with suggestions, which has been the sole motive of Sports, be it Olympics or International Football or Motorsport racing.

Mr. Rahul Dravid, talked about a Test Cricket-Calendar. How would this bring in some interest for fans of Cricket and moreover fans of traditional format “Test Cricket” back to the sport. He said “we would already know, when are we playing, and who are we playing against”, it would help us further solve the W’s & H of the riddle, i.e., where, why, what & how? Since the team will already know when & whom are the playing the where-part of the story would also be a known factor since we are talking about 5-designated centers. The why-part of the story would be a typical sportsperson answer “for the love of the game & for our passion” which the National Governing Bodies can turn it into a series like we currently have the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India) & The Ashes. It brings us to the last and the crucial part of the story, the ‘how’ as this would be the defining factor.

We can also take ‘how” in terms of, (A) How we can market this series/tour? (B) How we can make this the most innovative series/tour? (C) How this series/tour can be the most relevant one? Because we sometimes need a sport to boost the morale of not just a player, not just a team, but the whole Country, which can bring in more commercial aspects through innovation giving job opportunities and a sense of pride to the people.

Now from a broadcaster’s perspective, the things would have a very different approach. We have seen or heard of ‘x’ amount being spent on a broadcasting deal worth billions/crores which includes ‘y’ number of platforms accessible for users to consume the content. The technology, the manpower, the content sharing with specific focus on International, National & Regional content which also applies to the language terms. For Example: Star Sports claims to have 22% audience from regional push for IPL content (2018), which also included the live streaming on hotstar (in 6-8 languages depending on type of match, play-off or finals). Now if we evaluate & imagine the resources Star Sports had to bring-in to deliver such regional content such as the regional language experts who also know about the sport, technological setup & modifications, content-air challenges & monitoring. Designated centers for test-matches would surely help broadcasters to be on the beneficiary side of the deal, the reason being (A) they already know the venues (B) logistical cost cutting (comparatively less) (C) Relatively more time to bring in new-ideas or modify existing for greater content delivery with a collaborative advantage with the Sponsors. But how?

Sponsors are one of the most crucial contributors for any Sports because of the money they bring in along with the relationship they build with the Sporting discipline. We have seen or heard of ‘x’ amount being spent on buying the naming rights for a stadium or exclusive an in-stadia branding & marketing contracts, which has always been one of the major sources of income for National Governing bodies including broadcasting rights. Having said that, ensuring 5-designated test-match centers in India along with the broadcasting angle we discussed can help the brand management organizations to bifurcate sponsors further in relatively applicable categories. (A) Regional Sponsors (B) Series/Tour Sponsors (C) Associate Sponsor (D) Title Sponsor, and so on. This is where the regional brands with limited funds can gain some visibility & competitive advantage using Sports as a Medium, which conceptually, practically & relatively has more ROI’s compared to other modes of marketing & branding. International & National visibility factor is always key for any business to excel & sustain in the market.

It is not easy as it looks, but surely a viable option to think of with our major stakeholders in the overall picture. In my personal opinion, it is one hell of a road to be on. Monitoring, measuring & evaluating a Sport from multiple angles going through a process, where the majority of suggestions and feedback are from not just one-stakeholder, but from multiple-stakeholders who are directly associated with the sports & are getting affected in some way or the other via multiple content-consumption platforms. The feedback & suggestions are at each level, judging not just one component, but multiple components, giving us a reliable number for the overall result of the “Sporting Arena of the Year” or as we call it “Stadium of the Year”. The concept is not just restricted to cricket, but is also applicable to multiple dimension of Sports such as Athletics, Table Tennis, Tennis, Badminton, Volleyball, Cycling, Swimming, Boxing, Football, Hockey or Shooting. My idea behind this article is to discuss the possible inclusion of Performance Management System Concepts in order to measure & evaluate the performance of state of the art Sports facilities around the globe, just the way we judge the performance of our employee to get them performance bonus or appraisals each year.


Author:
Hitesh Mangtani
MBA-Sports Management Professional
Specialization: Athlete Development and Management

Also available on LinkedIn | Blogger, follow me: Twitter| Facebook

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