EASTERN Province Cricket received a major boost when a multimillion rand sponsorship deal was announced last night.
Port Elizabeth- based digital data company Axxess DSL has bought the naming rights to Port Elizabeth’s historic cricket stadium and will support cricket development in the province to the tune of R9,8-million over the next five years.
The home of Eastern Province Cricket will be known as Axxess DSL St George’s.
An elated EP Amateur Cricket Board and Jumbo’s Cricket chief executive Dave Emslie said the deal came in the form of a two-tiered sponsorship which included stadium naming rights and amateur cricket development. He said it would reinforce the stadium’s standing in world cricket and go a long way to ensuring the stadium was able to maintain its current excellent condition.
It would also allow the EP Amateur Cricket Board to roll out its newly developed strategic plan.
“The sponsorship is unique because, while having a commercial base, it is much more than that.
“Our business model is designed in such a way that one of the roles of our commercial company, Jumbo’s Cricket, is to generate sufficient funds to maintain the stadium and to provide funding for amateur cricket.
“This has happened over the last four-year period but the Axxess DSL sponsorship now provides us with an increased capacity to further develop cricket within clubs and schools and other cricket support services within the context of the board’s strategic plan. This sponsorship should be seen not only as an investment in our stadium but in the people of our province.”
He said the stadium in Port Elizabeth, which is the seventh-oldest in the world, would be renamed with immediate effect.
Newly elected EP Amateur Cricket Board president Donovan May said it was a pleasure to have a sponsor that recognised the need to develop cricket at the all-important amateur level.
“It is vital that in the Eastern Cape we have a common purpose and work together towards making sure our sport remains at the forefront of national activity.
“Axxess DSL, with its two-tiered sponsorship, is a classic example of a local company investing in a local product – we are grateful and proud to have them as partners,” said May.
Axxess DSL director Paul Fontana said he was extremely excited about the new partnership with EP Cricket.
“Despite being a locally based national company we have decided to show our support in terms of our R9,8-million sponsorship for local cricket,” Fontana said.
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