Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Thunder set to play more matches in home markets than any other team
In a huge win for fans, Sydney Thunder will play more matches in their home markets than any other team following the release of the Weber WBBL|08 fixture today.
The Thunder will play seven matches in Sydney and Canberra venues, including four in the heart of Thunder Nation at Blacktown International Sportspark, two at North Sydney Oval and one at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
It will be the first time the Thunder have played in Sydney since their title winning season of WBBL|06 and their first sojourn in Canberra for three seasons.
Fans and players will already have circled two Sydney matches for Thunder – the home and away editions of the Sydney Smash against the Sixers – at Blacktown on November 2 and North Sydney Oval during the tournament’s final week on November 18.
Alongside their Sydney and Canberra schedule, Trevor Griffin’s team will play matches on the road in Perth, Brisbane, Ballarat, Hobart and Nuriootpa in South Australia.
Rising Thunder star Tahlia Wilson, who has become one of the best wicketkeepers in the WBBL, said Sydney Thunder was looking forward to re-engaging with their loyal fan base in western Sydney and at Canberra.
“It’s great to be back and playing in Sydney, especially being at Blacktown where we’ll get our Greater Western Sydney crowd,” said Wilson.
“To get back out there will be awesome, it’s a great atmosphere.
“Wherever we go . . . whether it be Sydney or Canberra . . . we definitely get a lot of good support. Playing in the final a couple of seasons ago at North Sydney Oval, it was really awesome to see how many people got in there besides COVID restrictions.
“And to play down at Canberra at Manuka Oval, it’s something else down there – the Canberra crowd always bring ‘it’ when we get there.”
Tickets for this summer’s Thunder WBBL and BBL matches on-sale to the public at 2pm, August 18 (AEST), with Thunder WBBL Memberships available soon.
Not since the WBBL|05 season have all clubs hosted matches in their own markets – but in Weber WBBL|08, 14 metro and regional venues will play host to the world’s best cricket league for women.
Today’s announcement of the full Weber WBBL|08 schedule comes as welcome news to Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars fans, whose teams have made the Finals once in each of the past two years, but both without the support of a home crowd. The CitiPower Centre in St Kilda, Ballarat’s Eastern Oval and Ted Summerton Reserve in Moe will host a total of 12 matches this season.
Similarly, the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder will play in front of their fans for the first time since WBBL|06, when the entire season was staged in Sydney under bio-secure conditions. In all, 12 matches will be played across North Sydney Oval, Manuka Oval and Blacktown International Sportspark.
Not since the WBBL|05 season have all clubs hosted matches in their own markets – but in Weber WBBL|08, 14 metro and regional venues will play host to the world’s best cricket league for women.
In all, 12 matches will be played across North Sydney Oval, Manuka Oval and Blacktown International Sportspark.
The return to a national footprint comes alongside confirmation that 24 matches will be televised on Seven – 7 featuring the Sixers, with all 59 games will once again available on Foxtel and Kayo. Additional coverage will be provided by ABC Radio and cricket.com.au.
This broadcast footprint includes a new, regular Thursday prime time slot on Seven and Foxtel, beginning with the season opener between Heat and Sixers. In all, there will be 17 prime time matches in Weber WBBL|08, the most in any season, while a return to a regular WBBL footprint means just 15 of the 59 matches will be in neutral venues.
Importantly, no Weber WBBL match will clash with any of Australia’s games in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, ensuring fans can enjoy the best of both competitions either at the venue or on TV.
The Weber WBBL|08 Finals series will take place following the conclusion of the regular season on November 20, with dates and details of each match to be confirmed.
Sydney Thunder WBBL|08 Fixtures
Fri 14 Oct | Thunder v Hurricanes | Blacktown International Sportspark | 3:00pm
Sun 16 Oct | Thunder v Scorchers | Blacktown International Sportspark | 5:00pm
Tue 18 Oct | Hurricanes v Thunder | Blacktown International Sportspark | 7:05pm
Sat 22 Oct | Scorchers v Thunder | WACA Ground | 2:30pm
Sun 23 Oct | Thunder v Stars | WACA Ground | 1:40pm
Tue 25 Oct | Heat v Thunder | Allan Border Field | 6:15pm
Mon 31 Oct | Stars v Thunder | Eastern Oval (Ballarat) | 3:00pm
Wed 2 Nov | Thunder v Sixers | Blacktown International Sportspark | 7:05pm
Fri 4 Nov | Thunder v Heat | Blundstone Arena | 3:30pm
Sun 6 Nov | Renegades v Thunder | Blundstone Arena | 1:40pm
Sun 13 Nov | Strikers v Thunder | Centennial Park Oval (Nuriootpa) | 3:00pm
Tue 15 Nov | Thunder v Renegades | Manuka Oval | 7:10pm
Fri 18 Nov | Sixers v Thunder | North Sydney Oval | 7:05pm
Sun 20 Nov | Thunder v Strikers | North Sydney Oval | 5:15pm
Sydney Thunder WBBL|08 Squad
Head Coach: Trevor Griffin
Contracted for WBBL|08: Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Phoebe Litchfield, Olivia Porter, Tahlia Wilson
Name of Author: Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Based at Sydney Showground Stadium, the Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers, succeeded the New South Wales Blues from the defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
