ECB adds Rubicon to its commercial family as Kia Motors signs new deal to support women’s cricket
The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced soft drinks supplier Rubicon as the latest addition to its commercial family and extended Kia Motors’ sponsorship of women’s cricket.
Rubicon will become the official soft drink of the England cricket team as part of a three-year deal which embraces England Men’s, England Women’s and England Disability teams across all three formats of the game.
The drinks brand has already been a visible presence at men’s and women’s international fixtures this summer and the new deal will cover all England teams home and away until the spring of 2020.
Kia Motors will continue to be the official partner of the England Women’s cricket team for a further two years – with the car giant’s sponsorship of the domestic Kia Super League also extended for the same period.
ECB Commercial Director Sanjay Patel said: “Today’s announcement of two new sponsorship deals reflects the strong interest in partnering with our successful England teams and the wider domestic and recreational game.
“Kia broke new ground three years ago by becoming the first stand-alone sponsor of the England Women’s team and will continue to play an all-important role in driving awareness and interest in both the team and the Kia Super League.
“We’re also pleased to welcome Rubicon into our commercial family once again – extending and enhancing a relationship with cricket which first began seven years ago. It’s great to see commercial partners excited about the successes of our national teams as well as ECB’s broader plans to grow the game at every level.”
Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at A.G. Barr, said “Rubicon has a long and proud history of supporting cricket in England and Wales and we are delighted to take our relationship with the England teams and the ECB to a higher level.
“This is an incredibly exciting time to be linking with England Cricket and we look forward not only to bringing England Cricket to soft drink consumers, but also to adding value back to England Cricket through our unique brand and personality.”
President & CEO of Kia Motors UK and Ireland Paul Philpott said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the England Women’s cricket team for another two years. Since becoming the first ever official England Women’s cricket partner in 2014 we have seen women’s cricket go from strength to strength.
“With a full capacity Lord’s crowd watching England win the ICC Women’s World Cup this year, Kia is proud to have supported the women’s team right from the off. We have also enjoyed being the title sponsor of the Kia Super League, bringing international cricket stars to families and those new to cricket.”
Report courtesy of the ECB
