DUBAI-BASED airline Emirates has continued its recent flurry of high-profile sponsorship agreements by signing a 10-year deal with Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC).
Under terms of the deal, the club’s home ground, based in North-West England, will now be called Emirates Old Trafford.
The ‘Fly Emirates’ logo will also appear on the playing shirts of Lancashire’s domestic Twenty20 (T20) competition kits.
“The intention to secure a naming rights partner was always on our list of objectives,” said Michael Cairns, chairman of Lancashire County Cricket Club.
“However, it remained paramount that we secured a partner who was actively committed to cricket and its future while at the same time had significant interests in Manchester and the North-West [of England].
“The financial benefits of this deal are a core component of our long-term strategy for commercial sustainability. The partnership will support our intention to be regarded as one of the top County Cricket Clubs in the country and undisputed as a Category A [international] Test Match venue.”
The deal with LCCC is almost an exact replica of the six-year deal Emirates signed with Durham County Cricket Club (DCCC) in 2010.
Emirates is DCCC’s Main Club Sponsor and the partnership includes front-of-shirt sponsorship of the T20 kit and naming rights to Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground.
Elsewhere in cricket, Emirates is an Official Worldwide Partner to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The current agreement runs for seven years between 2008 and 2015.
The airline has also sponsored ICC umpires since 2002 in a deal which sees match officials wear Emirates-branded clothing during all Test, One Day International and T20 matches.
Previously, Emirates had sponsorship agreements with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Kings XI Punjab and the now dissolved Deccan Chargers.
By Luke Harman
Follow Luke on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG