Kent sign two year deal to put Demelza Children’s Hospice on their county championship shirts
Monday 5th April 2010
Kent County Cricket Club is teaming up with a children’s hospice in a unique partnership deal that is making cricket history.
The club approached Demelza Hospice Care for Children which cares for life-limited children and their families, after players and staff developed a strong relationship with the charity over the past year.
The name of Demelza Hospice Care for Children will be prominently displayed across Kent’s county championship shirts for the next two seasons, instead of a commercial sponsor.
It is believed to be the first time a charity has taken the coveted space on a cricket club’s team kit although the move echoes Spanish football giants Barcelona, whose shirts bear the Unicef crest, and Premier League side Aston Villa, who work with Acorns Children“s Hospice.
Jamie Clifford, Kent“s chief executive officer, said: "The players and staff at the club have been so taken with the work of Demelza, I am delighted to announce this exciting approach. Through the partnership KCCC has secured the value of the championship naming rights, and I am confident it will open up many more commercial opportunities in the future. I believe that this goes further than a traditional sponsorship deal, and expresses something of what a special club Kent is.”
Ted Gladdish, chief executive of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, added: “We are thrilled that our name will feature on the Kent County Cricket Club“s championship shirts next season in this groundbreaking partnership. This opportunity will help us to reach the extra children who desperately need our help. Kent cricket is helping to make this a reality for many of them."
Kent County Cricket Club and Demelza Children“s Hospice are planning a series of events that will inform and celebrate the partnership on a local and national level throughout the next two years.
Picture taken by Sarah Ansell:Demelza chief executive Ted Gladdish (left)seals the partnership with chief executive officer Jamie Clifford.