Warwickshire sees record ticket sales ahead of Ashes Test Match
WARWICKSHIRE County Cricket Club has secured record aggregate ticket sales for a Test Match at Edgbaston ahead of England’s vital clash with Australia on Wednesday.
The club has sold more than 105,000 tickets for the Third Investec Test Match of the Ashes series, which currently stands at 1-1 following games in Cardiff and at Lords.
Edgbaston’s previous aggregate sales record for a Test Match was again an Ashes game; this time the third match of the 2009 series, when just under 103,000 tickets were sold.
However, the new record follows on from the £32m redevelopment of Edgbaston’s South and West stands, which has seen ground capacity increase considerably. Capacity has been boosted still further for this game with the construction of a temporary stand offering an additional 850 seats.
Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at WCCC, said: “As well increasing our capacity to around 24,500 seats on each day, this will be the first Test Match where we have sold tickets for day five in advance, with more than 7,000 already sold.”
Tickets for days two, three and four are completely sold out, but limited tickets remain available in the temporary stand for day one, but these are expected to sell out before Wednesday.
“It’s fantastic to host the Investec Ashes Series and welcome Test cricket back to Edgbaston, with Test Matches now scheduled here each year until at least 2019,” added Roberts.
Emma Gray, Director of Marketing and Communications at Visit Birmingham, said: “The news that more people than ever will be coming to Edgbaston Stadium to watch this year’s Ashes Test Match is a great opportunity for Birmingham and cements the city’s status as a world-class sporting destination.
“We have calculated that these five days of cricket will be worth more than £26m for the region’s economy. We hope visitors enjoy exploring our leisure offer and are encouraged to return as we count down to an exciting period of launches in our retail, leisure and transport sectors.”
