Victoria work from the Sheffield Shield offer infuriates employers, Junction Oval deal sells out on first day, latest news

Cricket 2026: Victoria work from the Sheffield Shield offer infuriates employers, Junction Oval deal sells out on first day, latest news

Tim Miller from Fox SportsOctober 9th, 2026 8:47 am

A Cricket Victoria initiative launched by an ex-Test spinner to get more fans to the Sheffield Shield has proved an instant success – but the program labelled an ‘Australian dream’ has quickly received backlash.

In the lead-in to Victoria’s season opener against South Australia at the Junction Oval, the state launched a new ‘Work from the Shield’ offer in a bid to boost attendance on Days 2 and 3 of the match.

Fans able to work remotely could pay $16 for free Wi-Fi – $1 more than a standard adult ticket – a complimentary tea or coffee, and a seat to watch the day’s play … all while on the 9-5 grind.

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Students from RMIT, working on a project in tandem with CV and inspired by a similar venture in English county cricket, are behind the initiative, which was first suggested by former Test player Michael Beer.

Beer played two Tests for Australia as a left-arm spinner between 2011 and 2012, while also playing Shield cricket for Western Australia and playing in the first eight seasons of the Big Bash League f0r the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars.

“Dare you live the Australian dream?” CV CEO Nick Cummins posted to X to help promote the offer.

The move has been an immediate success, with Victoria reporting Thursday’s Work from the Shield tickets – as well as all 35 spots in the main function room – had sold out prior to the day’s play, with Day 3 (Friday) slots “filling up fast”.

Those who took up the offer were also left feeling it was money well spent, with insurance worker Beau Murphy telling the Herald Sun it was a “really good initiative”.

“I could see myself bringing clients here – it’s a good cheap way to get clients out and entertain them,” he said.

However, his admission that his work to cricket watching ratio was in the realm of 30:70 is a view shared by critics of the initiative, who have questioned its impact on employers paying for productivity during working hours.

“Nice try, Cricket Victoria,” Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting head Amelia Bitsis told the Australian Financial Review.

“People’s passion for cricket is such that it deserves their full attention. So does work.

“Our advice is to take the day off.”

Australian Industry Group’s Victorian boss Tim Piper – himself a former cricket writer for Australian Associated Press – is also not a fan, calling the proposal a “gimmick”.

He told the AFN employers had a right to be “deeply sceptical” whether their employees could “work and be watching the cricket at the same time”.

“They’ve successfully got state cricket on the front page of the paper in October – that’s a success, but success should not be seen as encouraging working from home from what is essentially an entertainment,” Piper told The Age.

“I hope they’re (Work from the Shield sign-ups) self-employed and not being paid by Victorian employers to be there”

However, Seb Dew, one of the students who launched the project, is adamant the offer is a winner.

“With cricket it’s a game where you have plenty of time in between balls in breaks to get all your work done so there’s plenty of work being done today,” Dew told the Herald Sun.

Cummins also responded to the backlash and defended his state’s decision.

“There’s a flawed argument there which assumes that people aren’t watching the cricket anyway,” he told the ABC.

“Ultimately, if people can work from home, they can work from the cricket – I think that’s the Australian dream, and we should be encouraging people to live it.”

“We’ve got a productivity crisis in Australia, so we’re just doing our bit to get people working harder!”

The initiative is new, but not without precedent in Australian cricket: South Australia’s Karen Rolton Oval offers free tickets and complimentary Wi-Fi to spectators.

Source: www.foxsports.com.au