Sponsorship & Marketing

Hilton and Lancashire Cricket extend long-term partnership

Featured image credit: Lancashire Cricket

Hilton and Lancashire Cricket have extended a partnership for the former to continue as the club’s official hotel partner for another year.

The award-winning collaboration also sees Hilton increase its investment to support women’s Twenty20 team Lancashire Thunder for the next three years.

The hotel company will provide support to increase the Thunder’s squad of professional players to 16 by adding four additional full-time contracts, with the recipients set to be announced in the coming days.

This will ensure the Thunder has the most full-time professionals in England’s domestic women’s structure.

“We are delighted to have extended our flagship partnership with Hilton and are incredibly excited by the increased funding they are providing to support our ever-growing Lancashire Thunder programme – as we look to continue to lead the way in the women’s domestic game and grow women’s cricket across the North West,” said Lancashire Cricket chief executive Daniel Gidney.

“After completing the extension of the Hilton Garden Inn Manchester at Emirates Old Trafford, which was officially opened in November, we are really pleased that we will be working together with Hilton for the next three years – as they continue to support our Men’s and Women’s squads on the field.”

The No Boundaries campaign, which was launched in 2023 and won the Sponsorship, Sales & Marketing Award at last year’s Stadium Business Awards, will also continue under the renewed partnership.

It aims to break down barriers and offer support to the Thunder’s playing squad and pathway system.

Lancashire Cricket’s Emirates Old Trafford Stadium, which houses its Hilton Garden Inn hotel, is set to stage TheStadiumBusiness Summit once again this year from June 17 to 19.

The hotel first opened in 2017 and underwent an extension last year so that it now boasts 250 premium bedrooms, a top floor of suites, two outdoor terraces, a restaurant and event space.

Hilton is also now the front-of-shirt sponsor on the Lancashire Thunder playing shirt as a result of the extension.

“We are so proud to continue our partnership with Lancashire Cricket and to be able to increase our support to the Lancashire Thunder team,” said Stijn Bastiaens, Hilton vice-president of marketing and loyalty in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“We are thrilled to see the progress the team has made over the last few years. At Hilton, we are committed to building a more inclusive society for our guests, team members, partners and the communities in which we operate in, which is why we have enhanced our sponsorship, allowing Thunder to stay at the top of their game.