Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
A summer like no other has the Brisbane Heat primed to elevate the club to new heights in 2023-24.
Both the men’s and women’s Heat teams made the respective finals series of the KFC Big Bash League and Weber Women’s Big Bash League tournaments, with the men winning through to their first Grand Final in a decade.
The return to a regular home and away season for both competitions was welcomed by fans, with Heat teams playing games in more home markets across Queensland than ever before.
The Heat played matches at the Gabba and Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay and took a BBL game to Cazalys Stadium in Cairns for the first time.
The Heat sold out Allan Border Field during the WBBL season, recorded its biggest BBL crowds in three seasons on the Gold Coast and the Gabba, while also welcoming a near capacity crowd to Cazalys Stadium.
The Heat successfully created and launched the “New Year’s Bash” event at the Gabba to kick off the new year on January 1 featuring music performances from Peking Duk, Ball Park Music, plus KLP and Stace Cadet.
The club also set a membership record with 5803 signing on in 2022-23.
In the broadcast space, the KFC BBL Final between eventual champions Perth and Brisbane was the most-watched game of the season and most-watched BBL game since the BBL|10 Final.
It was the most-viewed BBL game ever on FOX and attracted a national TV average of nearly 1.4 million viewers across FOX, Channel Seven and streaming.
Heat fans continued to be entertained and inspired through the club’s digital media presence with the Heat retaining their mantle as the most followed sports club in Oceania.
Queensland Cricket and Brisbane Heat CEO Terry Svenson congratulated both Heat teams on their respective seasons.
“The 2022-23 WBBL and BBL seasons have certainly been ones to remember for the Brisbane Heat in a summer that we saw many on and off field highlights. There were individual and team highlights to celebrate and many positive outcomes across the board for the club and the fans,’’ he said.
“Laura Harris and Jimmy Peirson brought up 100 career game milestones for the club, Michael Neser was the second leading wicket-taker in the BBL, while the efforts of the coaches and support staff to produce two squads that made Finals was significant.”
“Off the field, the hard work that Cricket Australia and the clubs put in has enabled the WBBL and BBL to rebound after some challenging summers through COVID, and has been vindicated with encouraging broadcast and crowd numbers.
“Our off-field team continue to set standards for family friendly entertainment through the digital and game day experiences we provide fans. Our inaugural New Year’s Bash event to launch the new year was one to remember, and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow this match to become one of the marquee dates on the summer sporting calendar.”
“Thanks to the generosity of the fans and players, almost $50,000 was raised from various initiatives during the summer to benefit the Queensland Cricket Foundation and its fund-raising goals for charity and grassroots cricket investment.”
“A summer like this can’t happen without the support we received from our many partners and stakeholders, so a special thanks to our sponsor, media and government partners for their help and support in bringing the summer to life.”
“As an organisation, we will now take time to review the WBBL and BBBL seasons and continue to work hard to improve the experiences of our fans and supporters ahead of next season,” he said.
Name of Author: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat are an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL), representing both men’s and women’s cricket. Based in Brisbane, Queensland, the Heat succeeded the Queensland Bulls, who played in the former KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The team wears a teal uniform and plays at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, known as The Gabba.
