England's World Cup nightmare is off the pitch as well as on it

11/06/2023 Сricket

England’s World Cup nightmare is off the pitch as well as on it as supporters struggle with late fixture releases making planning difficult – as Barmy Army sell just 20 packages for India

  • England are officially out of the ODI World Cup after their loss to rivals Australia
  • There has been an issue with fan interest with it hard to get tickets and plan trips
  • Barmy Army have sold 10 times the number for packages for West Indies tour

England’s World Cup on the pitch has been nothing short of woeful and off the pitch, the fan experience hasn’t been much better for the travelling support.

Mail Sport spoke to supporters as England took on Australia in front of a reported crowd of 55,000 at the 130,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

A range of concerns were highlighted including the late fixture release making it difficult to plan trips and the strenuous process of getting tickets, which includes purchasing the ticket online, then going to a venue away from the grounds to redeem a code and collect a paper ticket. In Ahmedabad, the collection spot was a 15-minute drive from the stadium, with many fans missing the first couple of hours of the game as a result.

‘It’s a mad place that has provided an unbelievable experience but it’s been incredibly challenging getting to games and dealing with silly rules from the ICC. You’re not allowed to bring in bags, coins, chewing gum, water, food and suncream so it’s just your phone on you really,’ said Dave Mitchell, 36, from London.

The schedules for the last two World Cups were released over a year in advance however the schedule for this tournament was released in June, exactly 100 days before the opening match.

There has been a significant lack of interest in the ODI World Cup in India from match-going England supporters

The late release of fixtures for the tournament made it difficult for fans to purchase tickets and plan trips 

Defending champions England are already out of the competition having lost six of their first seven matches

‘What’s been bizarre is the lack of England fans. There’s probably a few hundred at most and it’s even fewer with the other countries so it doesn’t feel like a festival of cricket. The whole experience has been dampened because of it,’ said Max Smith, 27, from Bournemouth.

The Barmy Army revealed to Mail Sport that they have lost a six figure sum due to a significant lack of English interest, with just 20 packages sold for the tournament.

For context, they have sold almost 200 for England’s white-ball tour to the West Indies next month and expect to get similar numbers for the Test tour to India next year.

The Barmy Army sold just 20 packages for the event, with Managing Director Chris Millard saying the organisation ‘will struggle this winter’

In contrast, nearly 200 packages have been sold for the tour of West Indies and similar numbers are expected for the Test tour of India

‘This tournament has cost us massively and we’ll struggle this winter. It puts us in a bit of financial difficulty but we should be fine with the future tours ahead,’ said Barmy Army Managing Director, Chris Millard.

‘It hasn’t felt like a World Cup in 2023 at all. I went to the Rugby World Cup in France and if you put the two spectacles side by side, it proves the difference. Rugby showed how good international tournaments can be when they’re ran like a well oiled machine and fans aren’t taken for granted. 

‘Here, it’s been fraught with challenges from the start. There’s just no consideration of the fans who are the lifeblood of the tournament. All the ICC and the BCCI are bothered about are the TV rights but it doesn’t make for a great spectacle if the grounds are empty.’

The ICC were approached for comment.

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