Hi Ian

This issue has been discussed before in a few forums – that’s why I started an off line discussion.

On your comments – unfortunately I see little evidence to support the argument of spectator appeal.  In the past few years we have seen spectator numbers drop dramatically around the country, to the point where we now hardly have even one spectator for many events.  In the late eighties, early nineties, I am told by competitors from that time that they would have 40 or 50 watching state titles, gold medals, etc.  Over the last few years I have seen great technical expertise on show, and no one to watch it.  This is our challenge. Get the club members to watch.  On the positive side, I do see a change in the wind.

Re spectator understanding of the sport – you can watch a top level game, and without knowledge of tactics in use it is like watching paint dry.  I can watch lawn bowls for 30 secs and get the point. If you watch the opening of a top level croquet game you may not see any hoop gained for 20 minutes.  Also, watching something like a triple peel or a one back leave can be very confusing to the uninitiated.  Our game is more like chess or bridge, and suffers from that.

However – Cairnlea is a great opportunity.   Test this discussion by staging a televised event at Cairnlea and see the result. 

The whole thing needs to be promoted as a social event – for the spectators that is. 

I will finish with a statement – a challenge if you like – that would do more for our sport if successful than any other initiative.

The 2008 goal for every Croquet administrator – national, state, club – is to promote Croquet as a spectator sport, and to undertake to find creative ways of getting people along to watch the game (even if it is only the registered club members). Raffles, door prizes, promotions, write ups of games, promoting the star players – these are a few of what could be tried.  The challenge is to create an environment that the spectator will enjoy.

So Ian – you got me going, and this has gone to the whole group.  The above challenge is a necessary condition before you can contemplate televising and high profile events. If successful then many other components that are missing will follow – sponsorship, publicity, interest among the non playing public.

Hi Greg

Re commonwealth games – there have been numerous attempts to get Croquet into the Olympics and Commonwealth games – it was an Olympic sport in either 1896 or 1904.  The problem in the modern era is the complexity of our game and the lack of spectator appeal, as well lack of player numbers and playing countries.

I disagree. Lawn Bowls comes across as a good game to watch on ABC-TV.  I can't see any reason that croquet would come across as less interesting.  Maybe the Olympics is a bit ambitious, but probably a dozen or more countries of the 71 states that came to our games do play croquet.  Many more obtuse sports are played. 

If you had never seen soccer played before, and watched it on TV for half an hour, you would have a general idea as to what the game was about.

Same can not be said about Croquet.

No. I think the public would readily understand that you have to get your two balls through all 12 hoops.  They'd just have to take a while to understand the rules, which would be explained, ... the same as in soccer.

I wish you'd post your reply to the group, as it would be good if more people would discuss this. And, without asking any direct questions, I'd like to know what efforts were made to have croquet featured in the Commonwealth Games.

cheers

Ian