By IANS
London : Test matches played at Lord’s, the home of cricket, boost the England capital’s economy by nearly 30 million pounds a year, a report commissioned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), owners of the historic ground, has revealed.
The 50-page report by London Economics provides details on the impact Lord’s, home to the Middlesex county cricket team, has had on the local and city-wide economies.
The report, based on England’s Test against the West Indies in June, reveals that the five-day match’s impact on the economy was between 9.5 million pounds and 10.8 million pounds, “supporting the equivalent of 133 to 155 full-time, year-round jobs”.
London Economics’ consultancy team, led by Gavan Conlon, estimated that an increase of 5,000 seats in the ground, opened in 1814, would boost the annual local economic impact of Test matches by nearly four million pounds, while an increase of 10,000 seats would increase it by six and seven million pounds each year.
However, if Lord’s lost any of its current major match days, the adverse economic impact on the local economy would be almost two million pounds per day.
“As well as being the first major economic study of a Test match in England for 10 years, it’s based on the biggest-ever survey of spectators’ spending at a major match,” MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw said.
“It will prove invaluable over the months ahead as we consult our members on the development of a master plan for the future of Lord’s – when capacity issues will be high on everyone’s agenda.”
England and India are due to face off at the historic venue Saturday in the seventh and final one-day international, with the series tied 3-3, in the last match of the current season.