English cricket: Rising from the flames

This feature is sponsored by Sky

There’s good reason to be optimistic ahead of next month’s highly anticipated return of The Ashes, and now’s the time to make sure you’re all set to make the most of a bumper summer of international Test cricket.

The 2013/14 Ashes series in Australia offered very little for fans of the England side to cheer. A 5-0 whitewash saw England slump to arguably their worst ever tour performance, despite being seen as the early favourites.

But fast-forward 18 months and things are looking brighter. For a start the series is back in Britain, which means there’s potentially 25 days’ play throughout July and August to show in pubs. In fact, 1.1 million people watch cricket in a pub or bar every month, so The Ashes are a perfect opportunity to increase footfall across weekdays and weekends.

Play starts at 11am, continuing on to early evening (British weather permitting), with a natural break for lunch being the perfect time to drive cash from specially-designed lunch menus, or the tea break being a good chance to offer quick-fire promotions on English ales or Australian lagers, depending on which side has dominated play in that session.

Cricket’s power to draw people through the door is not one to be overlooked — on the first Saturday of The Ashes in 2013, 661,000 people watched the action live out-of-home.

Exclusively live on Sky Sports, coverage of The Ashes features in-depth analysis from some of the biggest and best names in the sport, including Sir Ian Botham, Shane Warne, David Gower, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, David Lloyd and Michael Holding. Keeping the volume turned up is a good way to keep fans interested and involved during lunch and tea breaks, as well as after the day’s play has finished.

There’s also a great opportunity to really boost trade during the Fourth Test, which is played across the same weekend as the return of the Barclays Premier League on Sky Sports, as well as exclusive live coverage of the Sky Bet Football League and Wales v Ireland in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

Multiple viewing cards allow you to show the football and the cricket at the same time, attracting more sports fans in and keeping them all happy. Research shows that people who enjoy watching cricket out of home also enjoy football (95%) and rugby union (78%), so this is well worth doing.

So while the previous Ashes series has been banished to the back of England fans’ memories, next month’s return of one of sport’s most hotly contested rivalries is set to stir national pride once more.

Get the bunting out, decorate your pub and show customers you mean business for all-day coverage, every day of what will be one of the highlights of this year's sporting calendar.

Top tips for pubs

Get known: Carve out your reputation as a cricket venue early — England face New Zealand in One Day Internationals and T20 matches in the next few weeks. Advertise in your pub and on Sky Sports Pub Finder and show these matches to boost your profile as the place to catch all the action, leaving customers in no doubt about where to head on day one of The Ashes.

Create zones: Consider zoning your venue so there’s something for everyone; a lounge area with sofas for cricket fans in for the long haul, and a separate area for those not so keen on watching sport. This will keep everyone happy and coming back.

Feature food: Give customers a reason to come in early. Put on an Ashes breakfast deal for those who are in for the morning session, and consider a buffet spread or barbecue during the lunch break.

Run competitions: Generate some friendly competition by running daily sweepstakes on the amount of runs scored each day, or the time of the first wicket.

Reward loyalty: Incentivise customers with a free pint or bar snacks if they come back for every match, or multiple days of the same Test — a great way to build customer loyalty.

Widen appeal: Make use of free additional viewing cards from Sky — the fourth Test at Trent Bridge is due to be played across the same weekend that the Premier League returns, set to be a massive weekend for sports fans.

Go Further: Sky Sports Pub Finder

Put your pub on the map with the new Sky Sports Pub Finder. As part of Sky’s Go Further range of support tools, Sky customers’ venues are automatically listed on Sky Sports Pub Finder, which pub-goers visit millions of times each year.

Through the new customer website, MySkySports.com, licensees can create and edit their pub’s profile to:

• Promote their own events
• Advertise what sports they’re showing, or let Sky do all the work through automatic fixture updates 
• Add a description of their venue and upload photos