Big Bash boss Kim McConnie wants to introduce Super Bowl-style entertainment

THE Big Bash is already one of the country’s most entertaining sporting events but the league’s new boss, armed with years of experience working on Super Bowl halftime shows, wants to take it to another level.

Women players Suzie Bates, Georgia Elwiss, Harmanprett Kaur, Amy Satterthwaite, Piepa Cleary, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney and Erin Fazackerley at the launch of the third WBBL season. Picture. Phil Hillyard

SUPER Bowl-style entertainment could feature as part of future Big Bash seasons as the league’s new boss starts to make her mark.

Armed with four years’ ­experience working for PepsiCo on its Super Bowl halftime shows, Kim McConnie took over the Twenty20 competitions two months ago and wants to amp up Australia’s shortest form of cricket.

Leading into Saturday’s opening round, where four games will be played across the weekend at North Sydney Oval, and two in Adelaide, McConnie declared she wants to make the Women’s Big Bash League the best women’s sport in the world.

She said off-field entertainment was firmly in her sights.

“Sport and entertainment are merging, and that’s what people want,” McConnie said.

“(You’re) wanting to make sure that when they pay money to come to your event, you really are keeping them glued to their seat. Part of that is great competition, and I think we’re delivering that.

Big Bash chief Kim McConnie says entertainment has a big role to play in Australia’s T20 leagues. Picture: Jay Town

“Another part of that is making sure you’re keeping them entertained when the cricketers aren’t out there, and that I think has huge head room. I’m not sure about this year, these type of things take a while in the planning, but I’d love to see some musical acts be integrated more.

“I’d love to see a different type of entertainment be built more into the WBBL. We were talking about maybe it’s even movies or TV shows, maybe previewing new episodes and making it more of an open-air cinema-type feel. It could be music, it could be movies, ­entertainment in other forms.”

McConnie said Cricket Australia would continue to explore Christmas Day Big Bash and expansion of the competition.

“I see Christmas Day as an opportunity for afternoon-evening (games),” she said.

“I’m not sure when it’ll happen ... but definitely one of the things I’ve thought is Christmas Day is about celebrating with friends and family, and so is BBL, so I can see some ­natural synergy to at some point, maybe play cricket on Christmas Day.”

The women’s Big Bash can do with more exposure. Picture: Getty Images

McConnie can see massive upside in the women’s game and the potential to play more festival-style rounds similar to the opening weekend.

“Only 30 per cent of Australians are actually aware that the WBBL exists,” she said.

“We’ve got the best women cricketers in the world playing in the WBBL. We need to make sure that more and more people are aware of it.”

Brisbane-born McConnie started her career as a sales rep for Smith’s Snack Foods fresh out of university. She quickly rose up the corporate ranks to win a posting at PepsiCo’s head office in New York as head of sports marketing.

One of her most memorable experiences was working with Coldplay on the Super Bowl halftime show in 2016.

McConnie is keen to use lessons learnt in the US to ­improve the viewing experience for people at games and on the couch.

“The T-shirt toss ... they ­actually amended that for TV through augmented reality, and people were able to experience the T-shirt toss from home,” she said.