Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

ECB Chairman Giles Clarke this weekend paid tribute to Vodafone for its 12-year sponsorship of the England cricket team, which concluded at the end of the 4^th Test Match against South Africa.

The partnership, which began with England’s tour of the West Indies in 1998, has encompassed a period of significant achievement by the team including two Ashes wins in 2005 and 2009 and Test series wins abroad in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies.

Mr Clarke, who hosted a special thanksgiving dinner attended by representatives of Vodafone in Johannesburg, added: “We are extremely grateful to Vodafone for their unstinting support for the England team over the past 12 years.  The partnership has been one of the longest enjoyed by any team sport in the UK and it has brought enormous benefits to the wider game throughout England and Wales.”

After a lengthy search for a sponsor, Epsom Downs’ blue riband Derby Festival has finally secured a five-year deal with specialist bank Investec. Starting this year, the company will take over from 14-year incumbent Vodafone.

The new sponsorship is a major boost for Epsom – which has just completed a £38m redevelopment at its course. Commenting on the deal, Epsom Downs racecourse MD Nick Blofeld said: “We are very excited. These days (sponsorship) is much more about strategic partnerships and there are many ways Investec and Epsom Downs can work together to keep the Derby Festival a hugely successful event but also bring creativity and reach new audiences.”

Investec is not new to sponsorship. It already sponsors England’s autumn rugby internationals at Twickenham and recently signed up for the Tri Nations in New Zealand. Commenting on the deal, Investec’s UK CEO, Bradley Fried said, “We are delighted to be joining Epsom and the Derby Festival at the beginning of a new era and know that together we will be able to make a great event even better. The Derby makes sense for us in a number of levels; it has excellent television coverage which adds a new dimension to our brand footprint and the heritage has some quirky elements that suits our positioning of Out of the Ordinary.”

This year’s Derby Festival is on 5-6 June. Aside from the Derby, there will also be a return to 14 race days for 2009.

Epsom Downs Racecourse is offering The Derby as a stand-alone sponsorship opportunity for the first time ever.

Until now, the only way brands could get their hands on British horse-racing’s most famous flat-race was to buy a sponsorship across the entire two-day Derby Festival. But after an unexpected lack of demand last year, Epsom found itself having to be rescued by previous event sponsor Vodafone – which signed a last minute extension in 2008.

 Now, with the economy in such upheaval, Epsom has decided to be more cautious – introducing greater flexibility into its sponsorship offering. As a result, one brand will be able to back the big race while other set-piece fixtures such as the Oaks will be offered as separate sponsorships.

The Derby’s inability to find a sponsor is something of a surprise given the success of Aintree and Ascot in finding blue-chip sponsors (John Smith’s and Betfair respectively). Not only is the race one of the sporting calendar’s great events, but April 2009 sees the opening of Epsom’s new Grandstand. This should provide an added incentive for a sponsor to get involved with the race – which is run in June.