The Sydney Sixers are celebrating a summer of record growth, with Weber WBBL|10 and KFC BBL|14 proving seasons to remember for the club, its members and fans.
While the Sixers were unable to add further to their existing silverware collection, the club witnessed steady growth in membership sales, match attendance, TV viewership and digital engagement, in addition to making an impact in the local community.
Membership & attendance
For a second consecutive year, the Sixers have celebrated a record-breaking membership figure, with 13,867 fans proudly signed on this season.
With a vision to be Sydney’s destination sports club for events and entertainment experiences, the club achieved its highest average attendance since BBL|07, with an average crowd of 21,675 across the BBL season.
In addition to a sold-out Sydney Smash, the club also drew it’s largest-ever regular season crowd (outside of a Smash), with a record 31,165 fans in attendance at the Sixers clash with the Perth Scorchers on January 11.
In the WBBL, the club celebrated a milestone tenth season, hosting two marquee fixtures, including the first annual Sixers Food Fest at North Sydney Oval and the highly anticipated Sydney Smash at the SCG.
The average WBBL attendance grew by 23% across the league, with the Sixers punching above their weight, representing over 15% of the total match attendance across the season.
Broadcast
In total, BBL|14 viewership grew by an increase of more than 20% on the previous season, with the home-and-away season watched by an average audience of 742,000 viewers per game.
The Sixers blockbuster clash with the Melbourne Stars on Boxing Day was the highest-rating match of the regular season with an audience of 1.24 million, making it the highest-rating match in the current Seven and Foxtel broadcast era.
Across the league, WBBL average viewership grew by 46% year-on-year across TV and streaming, with more fans tuning into the 40-game WBBL|10 season than last year’s 56-game campaign.
Digital engagement
The club enjoyed record digital engagement this summer, reaching over 18.45 million fans through the Sixers social channels – a 24% increase from last year.
Additionally, engagement rose over 48% from last summer, while the club’s social platforms grew exponentially, with an increase of over 23,000 followers across all channels.
Community
Over 400 fans flocked to the SCG in December for Sixers Fan Day, with the club proudly hosting one of its largest events to date.
The club excelled this summer in the community space, engaging over 200 participants in Sixers Super Clinics, while over 700 young cricketers took part in Sixers junior skills clinics and junior carnivals hosted across metropolitan and country NSW.
Additionally, more than 1000 participants enrolled in Sixers School Holiday programs, including the Holiday Bash and Colour Bash (an all-girls program incorporating a Colour Run alongside junior cricket activities), as well as holiday clinics run in conjunction with the NSW Department of Education’s ‘Share Our Space’ initiative.
The club’s Principal Partner, Belong, introduced the Belong Bash Fund this summer, donating $100 for every four or six hit across the W/BBL seasons to local junior clubs in need.
Thanks to Belong, the Leichardt Wanderers Cricket Club, Thornleigh Cricket Club and Nana Glen Cricket Club will share in $33,900 to help provide new equipment, upgrade facilities and support the next generation of junior cricketers.
Sydney Sixers General Manager Rachael Haynes thanked Sixers members and fans for their support over the past season.
“We embarked on this season with a new club strategy and a bold vision to become a destination sporting club, delivering unforgettable events and entertainment experiences, and we’re incredibly proud of all that we were able to achieve this season.
“From new marquee fixtures that we hope will become staples on the summer calendar, to record-breaking crowds and more fans than ever watching on at home and engaging with our content online, there is plenty for us to look forward to in the future.
“Our club is fortunate to have a passionate and loyal fanbase and we’re extremely grateful for their ongoing support across the WBBL and BBL seasons.
“While the results on field didn’t necessarily go the way we would have liked, there is so much for us to be proud of. We have no doubt that both of our teams will pressing for titles again next season, and we can’t wait to see what more we can achieve, on and off the field.”