It was Kevin Costner who famously said, ‘Build it and they will come.’
It’s a maxim taken to heart by the Betway SA20 tournament that hasn’t so much shaken up South African sport as blown it up with a vibrant reimagining.
Cricket may never be the same and, by accident rather than design, offers compelling lessons for other sports and events.
Feeding into the zeitgeist – negativity, load shedding, a struggling economy, endemic corruption – SA20 has been a superb counterpoint, reflecting excellence, excitement and engagement.
The organisers got many things right, straight from the off:
1. Recognised a void in SA sport.
2. Created something explosive, time efficient and compelling.
3. Ensured teams were of similar strength.
4. Made fun a vital KPI.
5. Fan engagement baked in.
6. In Betway, they secured an enlightened, responsive sponsor.
7. SuperSport put its marketing muscle into it.
8. Appointed Graeme Smith, a man of gravitas and cricket smarts, as figurehead.
9. Assembled a hard-working, agile ops team.
10. Blended style (all the bells and whistles) with substance (great cricket).
Fields of Dreams, indeed, and bloody well done.
It’s a maxim taken to heart by the Betway SA20 tournament that hasn’t so much shaken up South African sport as blown it up with a vibrant reimagining.
Cricket may never be the same and, by accident rather than design, offers compelling lessons for other sports and events.
Feeding into the zeitgeist – negativity, load shedding, a struggling economy, endemic corruption – SA20 has been a superb counterpoint, reflecting excellence, excitement and engagement.
The organisers got many things right, straight from the off:
1. Recognised a void in SA sport.
2. Created something explosive, time efficient and compelling.
3. Ensured teams were of similar strength.
4. Made fun a vital KPI.
5. Fan engagement baked in.
6. In Betway, they secured an enlightened, responsive sponsor.
7. SuperSport put its marketing muscle into it.
8. Appointed Graeme Smith, a man of gravitas and cricket smarts, as figurehead.
9. Assembled a hard-working, agile ops team.
10. Blended style (all the bells and whistles) with substance (great cricket).
Fields of Dreams, indeed, and bloody well done.