Dubai-based airline Emirates has agreed to a seven-year extension of its sponsorship deal with English county cricket club Durham, under which the team’s ground will be given a new name.
Emirates will remain Durham’s main sponsor until the end of the 2022 season. The club’s Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground home venue, which is used for England international fixtures, will now officially be known as Emirates Riverside.
The two parties have been in partnership for six years and their previous deal was due to expire later this year.
David Harker, chief executive of Durham, said: “Emirates is a company that matches our ambitions and we look forward to working closely with them over the course of the deal. We’ve also taken the opportunity to rename our ground to Emirates Riverside and pay homage to the club’s fantastic legacy here at Chester le Street.”
This sponsorship agreement strengthens Emirates’ involvement in cricket which includes its global partnership with the International Cricket Council across all of its major events. Emirates is also the main club sponsor of Lancashire county cricket club and has the naming rights to its Emirates Old Trafford ground, another international venue.