Hardys to be official wine sponsor of English cricket team

By Richard Siddle

Published: 21 March, 2014

Australian wine brand, Hardys, is to be the official wine of the English cricket team having signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the England Cricket Board.

Australian wine brand, Hardys, is to be the official wine of the English cricket team having signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the English Cricket Board (ECB).

Hardys branding will feature at all of England's test matches, one day and 20 20 fixtures from this summer. It will be supported by an extensive online, digital, social media campaign to maximise the link up for what is the UK's biggest wine brand.

William Hardy, a fifth generation member of the Hardy family, travelled to London for today's official announcement of the link up at Lords in London. He said: We are very excited to partner with England Cricket. It is a sport close to my heart and has been enjoyed by the many generations of the Hardy family."

The link up will also give Hardy's consumers the chance to win tickets to England games through bottle promotions. Hardys is also launching the '1853 Club' which will give cricket fans the opportunity to buy premium level Hardys wine, which has limited availability in the UK.

David Collier, chief executive of ECB, said: "The ECB is thrilled to embark on this partnership with Hardys wine. Hardys is an established brand that will offer the nation's cricket fans quality wine to enjoy during matches. This is another example of our expanding commercial partnerships, and will allow us to invest more in the development of cricket game-wide."

Paul Schaafsma, general manager for Accolade Wines, said: "We are delighted that Hardys has become the Official Wine of England Cricket. Not only does the sport celebrate a rich heritage similar to the brand's, but it is also one of the country's most popular sports and provides us with a fantastic opportunity for exposure, sampling and sales. We are fully committed to maximising this partnership and look forward to sharing exciting marketing plans in due course."

The ECB said its tie up with a wine brand was in keeping with its "Drink Within Your Boundaries" campaign to promote responsible drinking messages at its grounds.

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