Barmy Army marches into bigger, brighter future

When England's men's cricket team tours, the locals look forward to the fun of seeing, hearing and being around the Barmy Army. Their cricket counterparts seem to be here for the beer, the bonhomie, and the best of times.

"It's quite hard to explain, but we're a community built on inclusivity, safety, fun, enjoyment, and integrating with the communities we travel to," Adam Canning, the Barmy Army's commercial and operations director, told Cricbuzz.

"We will continue to have an amazing time and continue to support the team through thick and thin. We've tried to maintain those values throughout our growth. There are no negative connotations to our behaviour. It's really well self-policed. People who are part of the Barmy Army are really proud of that reputation and will do everything they can to make sure they maintain that reputation worldwide."

Andrew Strauss signs t-shirts for Barmy Army supporters during the 2004 Port Elizabeth Test

On potential disagreements between members from different political backgrounds, Canning said: "The Barmy Army operates outside of politics, and outside of football rivalries. There's a famous song of ours that members sing if anything gets brought up that's irrelevant and might cause conflict. It goes, 'We're only here for the cricket…' I think we unite people in a way that other things and other sports can't."

He added: "You could have a lawyer who's just sold his business for hundreds of millions of pounds sitting next to a painter and decorator with completely different political views. They support different football teams. They come from very different walks of life. But they're Barmy Army members. That's what unites them."

Canning highlighted the self-deprecating nature of the group: "Cricket's one of those sports where you can have an amazing time and an amazing experience despite the result. You're not influenced necessarily by what's happening on the pitch. Our culture and values have been born on the fact that it was set up in Australia when England were losing heavily."

The Barmy Army originated during the 1994/95 Ashes in Australia. At the Gabba, with Australia dominating, England fan Dave Peacock led a conga line chanting, "We came here with our backpacks, you with ball-and-chains!" The antagonistic but good-natured response from Australian fans and the heroes' welcome from fellow England supporters sparked an idea.

By the fourth Test in Adelaide, Peacock and fellow travellers Paul Burnham and Gareth Evans formally established what was then called "Mike Atherton's Barmy Army". England won that match, and Alec Stewart waved Peacock onto the players' balcony to celebrate.

Mike Atherton with the Barmy Army members during the 1995 Adelaide Test

"The Barmy Army was never planned," Peacock later wrote. "I was just very lucky; right place, right time."

What began as a plan to sell T-shirts to fund travel has grown into an enterprise generating an estimated $8.5 million in annual revenue. It now has around 60,000 members, 2.1 million social media followers, and 20 full-time staff.

"We run a marketing division; we've got a digital marketing element to our business," Canning said. "We've got a full travel operations team, a finance function, a sales function and a couple of other businesses that we run." These include Joe Root's academy and a separate travel business.

This expansion was, according to Canning, necessary "to keep the brand and the business alive… The opportunity to take the Barmy Army into travel was a natural next step to make sure that we continue to deliver amazing experiences for our members. It's still a community and a members-first organisation."

The group's professionalization is exemplified by its trumpeter. After Billy Cooper retired in 2020, the role was filled by Simon Finch, a classically trained musician from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama who has played at Glastonbury and with artists like Beyonce and Eric Clapton.

Canning was interviewed in Cape Town while planning for an expected 10,000 Barmy Army members to travel to South Africa for England's upcoming tour.

The Covid-19 pandemic "nearly led to us going out of business," Canning admitted. "We just managed to keep our heads above water… So we started Barmy Army TV [a YouTube channel] to keep engaged with people."

The community is diverse. "We've got junior members and 35% of our membership is female. When we go overseas, we've got a significant female contingent travelling with us for that sense of belonging and safety. It's not just… 50-year-old men who love drinking beer. There are some, clearly, but there are also families, couples, and solo travellers."

On touring countries with alcohol restrictions like Pakistan and Bangladesh, Canning said: "Sometimes you have to negotiate behind closed doors… But people who travel the world understand that different cultures have different expectations on behaviour. And they are respectful and will abide by the rules and regulations and ingratiate themselves with the locals."

Barmy Army trumpeter Simon Finch plays a tune during the 2023 Wellington Test