Cricket Australia has landed a second vital sponsorship deal ever since its goodwill was dented by the Ball tampering saga during the Kangaroos tour of South Africa and the latest slump in the team performance.
Cricket Australia has announced a wide-ranging partnership deal with Australian supermarket and grocery store chain Woolworths – covering from the grassroots programs, right to the elite level.
The governing body of cricket in Australia, even amidst receiving serious blows both on and off the field, has been able to bag a deal with second commercial partner after the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The team earlier this week has slumped to the sixth position in the International Cricket Council one-day international rankings following two consecutive losses to England. The is the first time in 34 years that Australia has a fallen out of the top five one-day international teams’ table.
Cricket Australia had last month signed a four-year agreement with Australian energy company Alinta Energy as an official partner and shirt sponsor.
The board has some good news for the cricket fraternity following the on-field disappointment and sharp fall in ICC rankings. The Australian cricket board has been struggling with a significant dent to its performance and reputation quite for some time.
Cricket Australia’s partnership with Woolworths will see the brand play a major role in supporting the next generation of Australian cricketers via the junior pathways program.
Under the terms of the agreement, the supermarket chain brand will become the Official Partner of the Men’s International Cricket Team and Series’ and Official Supplier of the KFC Big Bash League and rebel Women’s Big Bash League.
The partnership will also see Woolworths secure naming rights of Australian Cricket’s highly anticipated and brand-new entry-level program, Woolworths Cricket Blast, which is replacing the in2CRICKET and T20 Blast programs in schools and clubs from this season.
In addition to the naming rights of Woolworths Cricket Blast, Woolworths will also be Presenting Partner of the Mascot Challenge, which is a school program for Kindergarten to Year 2 students, Junior Cricket Formats, regional Talent Academies and Male Underage Teams & Championships.
Woolworths Cricket Blast will officially launch in July, with more information about this fun and fast program and the rest of the junior cricket pathway available soon at playcricket.com.au, the board has stated in its official release.
Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland, said, “We are delighted to have Woolworths on board as a partner across the Australian junior cricket pathway and to have them providing support from grassroots to elite levels of the game. With their focus on fresh food and the community as Australia’s Fresh Food People, this is the perfect partnership to help inspire budding cricketers as they start their journey with the game.
“We are confident that the Woolworths team, together with cricket’s 4,000 clubs and thousands of volunteers, will bring this partnership to life in a positive way, making it easier and fun for more kids to eat well, be active and play cricket.”
Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said, “Every summer junior cricket is a vital part of many Aussie communities, with thousands of families heading to their local oval each week as kids build vital skills by taking part in one of the country’s most popular participation sports.
“Eating fresh and healthy food is also essential to the success of any junior cricket player and we are thrilled that Woolworths Cricket Blast will help continue our focus on supporting the next generation of fresh food kids.”
Cricket Australia gets commercial partner amidst controversy, poor show
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