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London Spirit Secures Barclays & Nike Sponsorships Following investor Sale
English cricket’s London Spirit franchise has announced major sponsorship deals with Barclays Bank and sportswear giant Nike, signaling a new era for the team after a significant stake sale last year.
London Spirit, a team in the innovative short-format cricket competition, The Hundred, has bolstered its financial standing with the addition of Barclays as its principal partner. The Barclays logo will prominently feature on the team’s playing kit and merchandise. This partnership expands Barclays’ presence in English cricket, building on its existing multi-year sponsorship of Lord’s Cricket Ground, home of London Spirit, through a deal with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) finalized in January. Barclays also maintains sponsorships with the Wimbledon tennis tournament and the Women’s Super league in soccer.
“The bank has considerable experience in sports partnerships – testified by their success in football and tennis – and has developed a great relationship with MCC and Lord’s that is further strengthened by this agreement,” said Julian Metherell, chair of London Spirit.
Nike will also become a key partner, serving as the official kit supplier for London Spirit. this marks Nike’s first foray into sponsoring a team within The Hundred competition, though the brand has a long-standing history with cricket, notably as a long-term sponsor of the Indian national cricket team. The new kit design will be unveiled this spring.
These sponsorship wins follow the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to sell stakes in six of its eight franchise teams to private investors. Last year, a 49% share of London Spirit was acquired by US consortium Tech Titans, led by billionaire Nikesh Arora, in a deal
