The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) governing body has added Japanese automobile company Toyota as a major partner as it continues to strengthen its commercial roster.
The deal, which starts in May, will see Toyota become a principal partner of the ECB, with its name and logo prominently displayed on all kits across the men’s, women’s, and disabled teams. It will also gain branding at all home international matches.
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It comes as the ECB prepares for a busy summer season, including home international series against the West Indies and South Africa, a one-off men’s test against Zimbabwe (the first match of the international summer, taking place in late May), and India visiting to take on England in men’s, women’s, and mixed disability series.
As part of the partnership, Toyota also becomes the ECB’s first official champion partner of disability cricket and the Disability Premier League, supporting the development and improvement of England Disability teams.
Additionally, Toyota will support the launch of the ‘Good For Cricket’ prize draw in the UK, modeled after a successful Australian program, which aims to help clubs raise £500,000 ($661,000) per year for equipment and resources.
Scott Thompson, president and managing director at Toyota, said: “By deepening our partnership with the ECB as its principal partner for men’s, women’s, disability, and grassroots cricket, we can help support and inspire both the current and next generation of players, volunteers, and fans who make cricket happen.
“At Toyota, mobility is at the heart of everything we do, and through these initiatives, we’re helping more people enjoy cricket, be active, and connect through sport.”
The new deal builds on Toyota's current partnership with ECB, struck in March, focusing on grassroots cricket across England and Wales. That tie-up saw Toyota become the official partner of the ECB’s All Stars Cricket program, investing £800,000 over the next four years to fund 4,000 additional bursaries each year.
The Japanese brand joins the likes of Cinch, Rothesay, Metro Bank, Vitality, and IG on the ECB’s commercial partnership list.
Other sponsors include Cognizant, Castore, Chapel Down, Laithwaites, and Zoopla.
Meanwhile, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) governing body has announced a significant multi-year partnership with another Japanese car brand, Suzuki.
Under the partnership, Suzuki becomes the official men’s and women’s one-day international partner, as well as the CSA’s official vehicle partner.
At the recent Champions Trophy one-day international tournament in Pakistan, South Africa's men's team were knocked out by New Zealand at the semi-final stage.
Suzuki will contribute 30 vehicles to the CSA’s development hubs to support the growth of the game and provide 12 vehicles to the CSA.
CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said: “This partnership aligns with the organization’s strategic pillars of excellence and access, providing us with an exciting opportunity to grow the game and inspire the next generation of cricketers.
“Like CSA, Suzuki is dedicated to delivering exceptional value and unmatched customer service to South Africans.”
Suzuki is the first headline sponsor for the men’s team since Standard Bank ended its sponsorship in April 2020 due to internal governance issues within CSA (many of which have since been resolved). Since then, only associate sponsors have appeared on the men’s team kits, including Indian dairy brand Amul as a sleeve sponsor.
In February, Italian sportswear manufacturer Macron signed up as CSA's technical partner, in a five-year deal. GlobalData Sport has valued that agreement as worth $9 million in total.
