Tickets for the inaugural season of The Hundred are being offered to under-16s for just £5, with a top rate of £35 for adults in an initial ‘early bird’ sale.
The new eight-team competition launches in July and the ECB wants it to act as a magnet drawing new fans to the sport, particularly women and children.
Advance seats will be graded as gold, silver or bronze depending on a combination of factors including timing and geographical location, with the men’s competition ranging from £10-£35 and the women’s event varying from £8-£18. All children up to the age of 16 will be charged at a flat fee of £5 in a bid to position The Hundred as affordable family entertainment.
At the lowest pricing levels, two adults and two children could watch a men’s match for £30 or a women’s match for £26.
Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred, said: “We can’t wait to welcome cricket fans and those new to the sport to the opening season of The Hundred to see England’s World Cup heroes Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight play.”
“We have put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for The Hundred. When compared with summer holiday favourites and other major sporting events, The Hundred offers brilliant entertainment and tremendous value.”
Meanwhile, the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc could find their planned stints in the inaugural season of The Hundred curtailed due to a potential scheduling clash with Australia.
Smith, Warner and Starc led a 10-strong Australian contingent that were picked up in the new competition’s October draft, with Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Dan Christian and Adam Zampa also chosen.
The Hundred is due to run between July 17 and August 15, which could cross paths with a rescheduled one-day series between Australia and Zimbabwe. The England and Wales Cricket Board are aware of the possibility and are understood to be relaxed about the situation.
“Each national team and its players have their own competition schedules to manage and we are aware that an ODI series between Australia and Zimbabwe is being planned for this summer, which may have a small degree of overlap with The Hundred,” said a spokesperson.
“However, no dates have been confirmed and player selections will be made much further down the line, therefore it’s hard to determine the impact at this stage. Player availability is affected by many variables including injury, conflicting schedules and team selection, all of which must be managed when they come to light, as with any competition.”
