New Warwickshire Cricket Club CEO Neil Snowball "has already had talks over renaming the historic Edgbaston ground," according to Graeme Brown of the BIRMINGHAM MAIL. Snowball, who has taken over from Colin Povey, said that "several parties had expressed an interest in naming rights."
However, he said that "no decision had been taken and he would only do a deal with the right partner."
When asked whether he planned a commercial deal to re-name Edgbaston, Snowball said, "We might do. Naming rights is something that has been bubbling along for some time. ... The short answer is yes, there is still a chance, but we will only do it if there is a partner with the right value."
Snowball, part of the organizing committees for Rugby World Cup 2015 and London 2012, "has called for major changes to cricket, both domestically and internationally, in England" (BIRMINGHAM MAIL, 3/3).
BEST ATMOSPHERE: ITV reported Edgbaston Stadium has been officially recognized "for having the best atmosphere" of U.K. cricket venues in a study of all matchdays in '15 undertaken by the England & Wales Cricket Board.
The atmosphere on the third day of last summer’s Ashes Test Match "received a score of 9.5 out of 10 by the spectators in attendance, which was the highest score of any international fixture or final played in the summer of 2015" (ITV, 3/3).
