From playing in 'pyjamas' and allotting trendy nicknames for teams to action-packed abbreviated formats, county cricket has undergone the most dramatic evolution of any domestic sport in the past decade.
But the refreshing sight of packed stadiums for Twenty20 matches has been countered by the struggle of the four-day championship to attract three-figure crowds.
County cricket comprises four competitions: the one-day Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy and NatWest Pro40 tournaments; the Liverpool Victoria County Championship - the four-day matches; and the popular 20-over format, Twenty20.
While new competitions are exciting, ever-changing formats and sponsors are confusing and many casual fans would struggle to explain the format of each tournament.
Though attendances at Twenty20 matches leaped from 287,000 in 2004 to 544,000 last year on the back of England's Ashes success, TV viewing figures remain relatively low. In 2005, matches pulled in an average audience of 156,000, compared with 133,000 so far this year, according to BARB. The football World Cup has undoubtedly been a factor in this, but cricket always faces competition from other sporting events - be it the Olympics, European Championships or the start of the football season.
Cricket's move to Sky, while financially beneficial, has taken the game away from many. Live cricket will not return to terrestrial TV until 2010, at the earliest.
Attendance figures reveal that county cricket struggles to draw crowds on a regular basis, apart from competition finals. From a sponsorship standpoint, this makes it a relatively unattractive proposition. Last year, the 25,000 fans who packed out Lord's to watch the final of the C&G Trophy represented more than a third of the total number of spectators to attend the competition.
Is the England and Wales Cricket Board doing enough to boost the profile of country cricket, and is it channelling resources in the right areas? We asked Matthew Worley, vice-president of client services at sponsorship agency Octagon Marketing, and Nigel Currie, director of brandRapport and chairman of the European Sponsorship Association, for their suggestions.
DIAGNOSIS 1 - MATTHEW WORLEY VICE-PRESIDENT OF CLIENT SERVICES, OCTAGON MARKETING
The complexities of county cricket provide a range of opportunities and challenges. Cricket is sport's chameleon; it continues to change and evolve in line with the demands of consumers.
There have been some significant improvements in the structure of county cricket over the past few years, including the birth of Twenty20, which continues to be a resounding success, and the relaunch of the one-day league as the NatWest Pro40.
A simplified match schedule reduces the need to make an 'appointment to view' and allows fans to better understand what is available and when.
There is no question that cricket is a unique sport that appeals to a variety of consumer segments - and thus brands.
Cricket must excite and maintain its relevance to consumers, if it is to compete with other forms of entertainment.
The game's leaders must better understand that consumers connect with cricket for many reasons. If it is going to continue to develop the sport at all levels, the ECB must be guided by the fans.
REMEDY
- Develop a better understanding of why consumers love different formats and devise communication plans accordingly.
- Create a clear and consistent brand proposition for each format of the game.
- County cricket's evolution must have consumer-driven benefits.
- Develop partnerships to ensure there are links from schools, through clubs and counties, to the international side.
- England needs to retain the Ashes.
DIAGNOSIS 2 - NIGEL CURRIE DIRECTOR, BRANDRAPPORT
Cricket is a complex sport to organise, particularly at a grass-roots level, and it is vital to have a strong national side to sustain the game's popularity. The past 20 years have been tough, but since the introduction of central contracts for the leading players, the Test side has enjoyed far more success.
The introduction of Twenty20 has provided a new stream of opportunities, boosting attendances while making the sport more attractive to a younger audience. It needs to be used as a platform for attracting interest in longer one-day matches. Data collected from Twenty20 should also used to entice supporters to other formats.
The emergence of two genuine 'heroes' in Freddie Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen will undoubtedly attract more media coverage and new sponsors.
Grass-roots development is vital and there are good systems in place to develop young talent, but more help is needed. Bodies such as the National Cricket Foundation must focus on getting cricket played in more state schools.
REMEDY
- The ECB should develop its broadcast links with providers other than Sky.
- Cricket should become less reliant on the financial-services sector for sponsorship and target more youthful FMCG brands.
- There needs to be more money and effort directed at getting cricket back on the curriculum of the state education system.
- The network of celebrities and entrepreneurs who are cricket lovers needs to be better tapped to benefit the sport.