"Dob in a yob" targets the balmy army

A new text messaging service, dubbed "Dob in a yob" and adopted from English football, will allow fans to alert security staff to the position of unruly patrons.

Beware the Balmy Army

Those dobbed in will be monitored by cameras and security staff who will decide whether to eject them from the venue.

Eighty security guards will be joined by 130 police officers, 230 ushers and staff monitoring 85 CCTV cameras, while players will appeal for good behaviour in messages played on Gabba screens.

The new sms service comes as thousands of balmy army supporters begin to arrive in Australia for the Ashes series which begins in Brisbane November 23.

Cricket Australia has worked with state cricket associations, ground authorities and police to come up with the crowd policy that chief executive James Sutherland feels will enhance the viewing experience for all cricket-goers.

"We want what fans want, we want people coming to grounds to be able to enjoy the cricket in comfort, to enjoy the buzz of being a part of a large crowd, to have fun with family and friends and to give vocal support to their team," Sutherland said on Thursday.

"We don't want to be kill-joys; we want to make sure everyone who attends matches this summer has a positive and enjoyable experience.

"We have done significant work and reviews since last season, and that has included research with cricket fans and they, like we, know that there are a small number of people at matches who misbehave."

"Our message today is come along, enjoy yourself and have fun, but if your idea of fun is to spoil someone else's day, we will identify you and we will take action. It's as simple as that."

Sutherland admitted it was unlikely that unruly behaviour from some individuals could be completely eradicated, but maintained the new policy had the potential to create a lasting legacy of positive crowd involvement in sporting events around Australia.