WHITE FERNS’ Free Ticket Initiative Set to Draw Record Crowd for Rose Bowl ODI Series at Basin Reserve

New Zealand Cricket Board’s “Free Ticket” Initiative to attract a record-shattering crowd at Wellington in the 1st ODI against Australia.

Earlier this year, the New Zealand Cricket Board, to encourage more fans to watch and support women’s cricket, announced their initiative to offer free tickets for their upcoming three-match ODI series against the touring Australian side.

The initiative is a part of their vision to promote gender equality in sports and increase the visibility and crowd attendance for the women’s game. The bilateral ODI series will get underway on 19th December and conclude on 23rd December 2024. The series is famously known as the “Rose Bowl Trophy.” It is known for it’s fierce competitive battles between the Trans-Tasman rivals, Zealand and Australia. The Rose Bowl One-Day Series was first established in 1985.

The initiative has managed to attract a record-breaking crowd, as we are all set to witness over 2,000 to 3,000 fans reaching out to the stadium for the 1st ODI of the series to witness thrilling action unfold. “We’re thrilled with the surge in interest for the Rose Bowl series. The Free Entry 1st ODI is expected to garner a crowd of more than 3000 which shows just how incredible the support for this team is.” NZC GM Marketing and Communications Stacey Geraghty speaks about the impact of the new initiative with the surge in interest in watching the women’s game among the fans.

The last time Australia traveled to New Zealand for a bilateral ODI series was way back in April 2021. The previous Rose Bowl series took place in October 2020, with Australia winning the series 3-0. Australia led by the stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath completed a dominating whitewash in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against a touring Indian side led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

It will also be the first time that the White Ferns likely led by skipper Sophie Devine will be playing a home series after their historic, maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup triumph in the United Arab Emirates, in October, earlier this year. It was also their first ICC title after 24 years, the previous one being their ODI World Cup triumph in 2000.

Fixtures: Australia Women’s tour of New Zealand 2024

All the matches of the upcoming three-match ODI series will be played at the Basin Reserve, Wellington.

(Quotes sourced from New Zealand Cricket Press Release). 

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