Joel Moss
THE record crowd for a domestic NSW cricket game at the Thunder v Sixers Big Bash League fixture on Saturday night was the latest in a series of crowd records established at Stadium Australia, Sydney’s Olympic stadium.
The 32,823 who turned out to watch the Sixers beat the Thunder on Saturday 27 December surpassed the previous mark for a domestic cricket game in NSW – the 1934 Sheffield Shield match at the SCG that featured the one-and-only Sir Donald Bradman.
It was also the highest BBL crowd ever recorded in Sydney – beating the 31,262 that turned up at Stadium Australia for the 2012 January Sydney Smash between the Thunder and Sixers.
It’s the second NSW cricket record to fall in recent years at Stadium Australia, with the 59,659 fans who turned out for the Australia v India T20 International on 1 February 2012 the highest international cricket crowd ever recorded in NSW.
The long list of significant crowd records established at Stadium Australia includes:
- THE largest Olympic crowd ever – 114, 714 for the 2000 Sydney Olympics Closing Ceremony on 1 October, 2000;
- THE Olympic record for a single session of track and field – 112,524 to see Cathy Freeman race for gold on 25 September, 2000;
- THE world record rugby union crowd – 109,874 for the 2000 Bledisloe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand;
- THE world record rugby league crowd – 107,558 for the 1999 NRL Grand Final between the Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons;
- THE Australian record football crowd – 104,012 for the 2000 Olympic Men’s Final;
- THE Australian record State of Origin crowd – 88,336 set in 1999;
- THE largest NRL crowd post Stadium Australia ground reconfiguration – 83,833 for the 2014 NRL Final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs;
- THE highest AFL crowd outside Victoria – 72,393 for Swans v Collingwood in 2003;
- THE Australian record aggregate concert crowd – 213,045 for three AC/DC shows in 2010;
- THE Super Rugby record crowd – 61,823 for the 2014 Super Rugby Final between the NSW Waratahs and Crusaders;
- THE largest international cricket crowd ever recorded in NSW – 59,659 for the Australia v India T20 International in 2012;
- AND the largest domestic cricket crowd ever recorded in NSW – 32,823 for the Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers T20 BBL match, 2014.
With another blockbuster line-up announced for 2015 at Stadium Australia, the records may continue in the upcoming days.
