The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable new 100 ball cricket tournament, with KP Snacks sponsored teams that begins in July this year.
The launch this summer of “The Hundred”, presents a positive opportunity for women’s cricket. With the coverage on the BBC, it will impact profile, awareness, engagement and shift the dial on participation.
In 2017 the England women’s team won the World Cup sparking a surge in women playing cricket – a Guardian article in 2017 cites thousands of women and girls taking up the sport. The tense final at Lords was watched by 1.1 million people with a 300% increase in TV viewing for the tournament from the figures in 2013. Viewing figures are crucial as interest from broadcasters trickles down to investment at grassroots.
“The sight of a sold-out Lord’s is something that will stick with everyone who was there for a lifetime – and the winning moment was truly special.”says Clare Connor, director of women’s cricket at the England Cricket Board (ECB).
More than 26,000 tickets were sold for that match, with about 50% bought by women. A memorable performance from Anya Shrubsole, who took five wickets in 19 balls to rescue a flagging England and propel them to victory, earned her a nomination for sports personality of the year – the first female cricketer to have been in the running. Fast Forward to 2019 and at last year’s Sports Personality of the year, the BBC made a concerted effort to showcase the game and put specific attention on those female players making an impact with a VT and obvious tip of the hat.
The reason I go back to 2017 is, that this may have been the catalyst for the new format of the game and the appetite from the BBC to become the broadcaster, along with their newfound, long overdue, focus showcasing women’s sport. We are great advocates for women’s sport and we’ve talked before about the role that sponsorship has to play in women’s sport.
So let’s hope the launch of the 100-ball format – “The Hundred” will continue this trend. The format will be made up of ten, 10-ball overs, which can be bowled by one or two bowlers, in clutches of either five or 10 consecutive balls. Trialled at Trent Bridge in September, it has been introduced as part of a new ECB five-year strategy for the game.
We can’t wait to see JM Finn ambassador Tammy Beaumont in the new series and if you would like to find out more about partnership opportunities with Tammy please get in touch. (Also see information on Tammy Beaumont’s Spring Tour)
For more information about The Hundred – visit the tournament website.
To discuss sponsorship and branding opportunities – contact Karen or Stuart at Reg&Co. Sponsorship Agency on +44 (0)20 7482 6635
