Partnership Review: Lord's Cricket Ground

The Wall Street Journal recently featured an interesting editorial piece by Tunku Varadarajan on the aura and nostalgia of the Lord's Cricket Ground, located in St. John's Wood, London. In the article, Varadarajan referred the facility as the Mecca of cricket and spoke highly of the stadium's affluent culture and pleasant experience.

But what exactly is the Lord's Cricket Ground? It is the Wrigley Field of cricket - a facility built in 1814 that is revered as one of the most famous stadiums in the world. Like Wrigley Field, operators of Lord's Cricket Ground have battled with incorporating corporate presence ($$$) into the facility's historical setting.

While the facility is considered traditional, it features a number of non-traditional elements, including the Investec Media Centre (as displayed on the right). Investec signed a three-year deal in 2006 to become the title sponsor of the facility; a deal that also provides the company with widespread attention throughout the venue.

Take a moment to check out the facilities amenities and corporate signage here.

From an outsider's perspective, there are a few interesting things to note about the Lord's Cricket Ground:

1. All event attendees are allowed to bring in one (1) bottle of wine or two (2) pints of beer
2. All stadium signage is static - a very conservative, traditional setting
3. Concessions within the venue offer a variety of offerings, including True Indian food, The Great Australian Pie company, and FBC Fine Barbeque
4. The stadium is host to the oldest sporting museum in the world
5. Lord's Cricket Ground recently launched their own clothing line
6. The venue features a "Father Time Weathervane" that symbolizes the venue's history
7. The stadium features an outfield bar that enables its alcoholic sponsors to hand banners as backdrops

Over the past few years (since 2004), a number of companies have taken advantage of promoting their brand within the confines of the Lord's Cricket Ground, including:

• Vodafone
• Toyota (promoting the Avensis)
• Friends Provident
• Ask.com
• Betfair.com
• Qatar Airways
• nPower
• Deutsche Bank
• Red Stripe
• Nat West
• Hewitt
• Volkswagen
• Adidas
• Marston's Smooth Beer
• Predigree
• Icon
• Barclays
• Frizzell Insurance
• Fuller's London Pride
• Wold Blass Wines
• ebookers.com
• ToteSport.com
• The Daily Telegraph
• Ecb.co.uk
• sky Sports
• Airmiles.co.uk
• Invesco Perpetual

Hopefully this article will provide you with a greater understanding for the sponsorship landscape in England (players, branding) and the Lord's Cricket Ground approach to sponsorship integration in a historical setting. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to learn more. Again, be sure to check out the gallery!