England’s "stunning and unexpected victory in the Ashes is helping to
fuel hopes of increased grass-roots participation in cricket," according to Cave & Miller of the London TELEGRAPH. The heroics against Australia, and a good performance in the women’s Ashes
series, "could help the men’s and women’s games to
build on these foundations." It "could
create a virtuous circle, with sponsors and other commercial partners
becoming attracted not only by association with a quintessentially
English pursuit, but also by the passionate following that can stem from
a team’s success." While the media tend to focus on the men’s game, England’s women "are a powerhouse." According to the England & Wales Cricket Board, "63,000 British girls and women over 14 now play cricket." Cricket’s raised participation and profile "is good news for
sponsorship." Waitrose "backs the England men’s team, NatWest Bank the
Twenty20 game, Specsavers is an ECB commercial partner and Kia Motors
has sponsored Surrey and the Kia Oval since 2011." Last year, Kia
"also signed a six-figure, two-year contract in the first standalone
commercial deal for the England women’s team." Kia Motors UK President & CEO Paul Philpott said, "Cricket has been very successful for us. ... As a young brand, setting up a presence in London was quite challenging. That was behind our reasoning to do the cricket sponsorships and it’s been a really successful tie-up." ECB England Women’s Cricket Dir Clare Connor "sees the Kia deal as a landmark sponsorship." Connor: "The partnership demonstrates the commercial credibility and viability of the women’s game." Bang & Olufsen "also sees great value in supporting cricket, and has become an official supplier to England women’s cricket team" (TELEGRAPH, 8/13).
