Melbourne: Cricket Australia on Friday announced a full 59-game fixture for the upcoming Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season in Sydney and all eight teams will be involved on the opening day of the tournament.
The season will begin October 25 with all eight teams in action and both a Sydney and Melbourne derby to be played. The season will conclude on the weekend of November 28-29, with locations and timings of the three-match finals series matches to be confirmed.
CA also announced the creation of the WBBL Village in Sydney Olympic Park. The WBBL Village will see parts of Sydney Olympic Park transformed into a high-class athletes' precinct to accommodate all eight teams and staff.
The Village, created with the support of rebel, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Accor Hotels, and Cricket NSW will see the League given exclusive use of multiple hotels, high-performance facilities, dining venues, and more.
CA is working in partnership with the New South Wales Government to ensure the competition proceeds in line with government regulations and COVID safety guidelines, with the safety of the NSW community and all participants the highest priority.
Alistair Dobson, CA Head of Big Bash Leagues, said the foundations had been laid for a memorable WBBL|06 season.
"Today's announcement of the changes to the WBBL|06 fixture and the transformation of Sydney Olympic Park into the rebel WBBL Village sets the League up for another unforgettable season," Dobson said in a statement.
"Last season was the biggest in the history of the women's game and now, following on from the ODI and T20I series in Brisbane, we'll get to see the stars of our world champion Australian team in action during WBBL|06," he added.
Cricket NSW CEO Lee Germon said bringing the entire tournament to Sydney provided a tremendous opportunity for the state's cricket fans.
"Cricket NSW is honoured to host the Women's Big Bash League this season, giving our community a wonderful chance to see the best women's cricket players in the world right in our own backyard," Germon said.
"Our staff at Cricket NSW and in particular at the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder have already put in a huge amount of work with Cricket Australia and all the other partners to bring the tournament and the WBBL Village to fruition and we are confident they can deliver the best WBBL season yet," Germon added.
Geoff Lee, NSW Acting Minister for Sport, said Sydney can't wait to host the WBBL|06 in its new Sydney Olympic Park Village.
"We are ready to see the heroes of Australia's triumphant T20 World Cup side return to action as the league continues its popularity surge across the nation. These women are setting an excellent example to young girls aspiring to play the game of cricket and that is so important as we continue to drive sport participation across the state," Lee said.
