UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 26 MARCH 2014
Birmingham City University has signed a partnership deal to become Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s first Official University Partner.
The University, which has around 22,000 students from 80 countries, will become one of the lead partners of the Club for at least the next three years. Its sponsorship of the Birmingham Bears NatWest T20 team in particular will help to cement its role as the university for Birmingham.
As part of the activation, the University will receive perimeter branding at Edgbaston Stadium, branding on the collar of the new Birmingham Bears NatWest T20 Blast shirts, match day hospitality and opportunities to utilise the conference and events space in Edgbaston’s new £32 million South Stand. The two parties will also work together to fully utilise the sports and media assets of the stadium to create unique academic programmes for its students.
Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Warwickshire CCC, said: “Like Edgbaston, Birmingham City University has recently opened new world-class facilities and it’s fantastic to work with a renowned organisation that shares our ambitions.
“We have much to look forward to at Edgbaston with Birmingham Bears Friday night T20 matches coming this summer and an Ashes Test Match next season. We’re thrilled that Birmingham City University are part of these plans to showcase the city on the biggest stage and we look forward to working with their team.”
This summer Edgbaston hosts England matches against India and Sri Lanka. The redeveloped venue will also host Finals Day of the new domestic twenty20 competition, the NatWest T20 Blast, with the Birmingham Bears set to play seven games at Edgbaston during the group stages; five of which are scheduled on Friday nights.
Cliff Allan, Vice Chancellor at Birmingham City University, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for the University to work in partnership with Warwickshire Cricket Club for the benefit of our students, who will be able to take advantage of relevant work-based, research based, and large scale event management projects.
“The University will also work closely with the club to identify opportunities to engage local communities in sport and education activities. Sponsoring the Birmingham Bears NatWest T20 team strengthens our links with exciting Birmingham organisations.”