MCC Urges Members to Pack Lord's for Women's T20 Final

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-07-03

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is asking its members to show up for Sunday's ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at Lord's, no matter which teams are playing. MCC chief executive Robert Lawson sent a letter to members who got tickets for the final, stressing that their attendance matters for the club's image. This request comes because of worries about repeating what happened in 2017. Back then, the Women's World Cup final at Lord's had packed public stands but a mostly empty pavilion. That contrast drew a lot of criticism toward MCC at the time. ### Why the Pavilion Turnout Matters MCC has faced scrutiny over member attendance at major women's cricket games before. During the 2017 World Cup final, about 24,000 fans filled the public stands for England's narrow nine-run win. But the members-only pavilion area stayed thinly occupied. The gap between those two sections led to public and media criticism. A 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket also called out MCC, saying Lord's still felt like a space built mainly for men. The club didn't admit women as members until 1998, nearly 200 years after it was founded in 1787. Here's a quick look at the membership numbers: - Total full members: about 18,350 - Women members: less than 3 percent - That's roughly 550 women out of 18,350 Those numbers keep drawing attention to gender representation within the club. ### A Historic Moment for Women's Cricket at Lord's The concern over optics comes as women's cricket gets ready for another big moment at Lord's. England Women are scheduled to play their first-ever Test match at the venue next week against India. That addresses a gap the ICEC report had flagged as long overdue. Lawson's letter pointed out how big Sunday's final is, calling it an honor for the club to host. He asked members to let MCC know if they can't use their tickets so the spaces can be given to other fans. The goal is to avoid the visual disparity seen in 2017, both in the public stands and the members' friends' enclosures. ### Record-Breaking Tournament Attendance This plea follows a tournament that has already broken attendance records for women's cricket. More than 160,000 tickets have been sold across the competition. That's more than double the turnout at the 2017 edition held in England. Lord's alone drew a crowd of 27,000 for Sunday's group-stage double-header. In that match, South Africa edged past Bangladesh to reach the semi-finals while India got eliminated by Australia. Other venues also saw record numbers: - Edgbaston: 18,814 for the India-Pakistan match - The Oval: 21,018 for England against New Zealand Tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild said the event has succeeded in bringing women's cricket into the mainstream. She pointed to the repeated record crowds as proof of that shift. ### What This Means for the Club For MCC, this isn't just about filling seats. It's about showing that the club supports women's cricket and wants to be part of its growth. The empty pavilion in 2017 was a bad look, and they're trying hard to avoid that again. If you're a member with a ticket, showing up matters. It sends a message that Lord's is a home for all cricket, not just men's games. And with record crowds already this tournament, it's a chance to be part of something historic. For more sports news and updates, you can check out other cricket coverage online.