Worcestershire County Cricket Club has announced that its partnership with Blackfinch Investments will conclude at the end of the 2020 season, leaving the club without a stadium sponsor.
Blackfinch first partnered with Worcestershire in 2016 as the club’s official sleeve sponsor before stepping up as main sponsor at the end of the 2017 season. Under the five-year agreement, the club’s New Road stadium was rebranded as Blackfinch New Road.
The two parties have opted to bring their association to an early end, with the stadium name to revert back to New Road. Worcestershire said more information on sponsors for the 2021 season will be provided in due course.
Blackfinch chief executive and founder Richard Cook said: “We would like to thank the WCCC for a great four years of sponsorship. We have had some fantastic times at Blackfinch New Road and wish them the best of luck for the upcoming season and in the future.”
When the agreement was signed, Worcestershire said the deal would earn the team an annual fee in excess of six figures, although specific terms were not disclosed. Worcestershire’s then-chief executive Tom Scott said at the time that the deal marked a “historic moment” for the club, with Blackfinch becoming New Road’s first-ever naming-rights sponsor.
As well as sponsoring Worcestershire’s home ground, Blackfinch’s branding appeared on the front of the team’s shirts. The partnership coincided with the Worcestershire Rapids’ victorious Vitality Blast campaign in 2018.
Image: Philip Halling/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
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