Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) chief executive Robert Lawson has urged the club's members to turn up in numbers for the Women's T20 World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday, July 5. The appeal, made in a letter to members on Wednesday, July 1, applies regardless of whether the English side reaches the title encounter.
The concern goes back to the 2017 Women's World Cup final at the same venue. Around 24,000 fans packed the public stands for England's win over India by nine runs, but the areas reserved for members
at the pavilion end stayed largely empty. The club drew criticism from its own members and the media, and its hierarchy admitted at a Special General Meeting in July 2025 that a similar snub this time could prove far more damaging.
"On Sunday, we have the honour of hosting the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final. Yesterday's semi-final saw Australia continue their dominant run and we look forward to welcoming them to Lord's this weekend. Tomorrow evening we will find out which of England or South Africa will join them," Lawson wrote in his letter, as quoted by Cricinfo.
No repeat of 2017 is vital to MCC's reputation: Robert Lawson
The MCC chief asked members to use their tickets for whichever teams contest the final and to inform the club if they choose not to attend so that the vacated seats can be filled.
"It is vital to MCC's reputation that there is no repeat of the situation which occurred at the ICC Women's World Cup Final at Lord's in 2017, when there was a clear disparity between the Public Stands (visibly full) and the sparsely occupied Pavilion. That same principle applies to the Members' Friends' Enclosures," Lawson added.
Why does MCC's membership record matter?
MCC opened its membership to women only in 1998, having admitted only men since its founding in 1787. Fewer than 3% of its roughly 18,350 full members are women. The 2023 report of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket had also called it "truly appalling" that England Women had never played a Test at Lord's, a gap that closes when England host India in a historic women's Test at the ground from Friday, July 10.
The tournament has drawn record crowds, with more than 160,000 tickets sold, a new high for a women's ICC event and more than double the 2017 50-over World Cup in England. A crowd of 27,000 watched the double-header at Lord's on Sunday, June 28 that closed the group stage. Australia sealed their final spot with an eight-wicket win over the West Indies at The Oval on Tuesday, June 30, and their opponents will be decided when England meet South Africa in the second semi-final at the same venue on Thursday, July 2.
