MUMBAI: Mobile telecommunications operator Digicel says that its total commitment to West Indies cricket is only partially reflected in the financial investment made to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) through the five-year home and away contract of $19.75 million. Digicel is the title sponsor of West Indies cricket.
Beyond the master contract with the WICB, Digicel says that it is focussed on effectively driving the growth of West Indies cricket by incentivising performances and supporting players, making cricket more accessible to Caribbean communities, and bringing new energy and dynamism to the promotion of the game.
Digicel marketing director Ben Atherton says, “The substantial sponsorship package represents only the starting point of our commitment to the growth of the game in the region. As a company that is solely based in the Caribbean and staffed by almost 1,000 Caribbean nationals, we believe in the Caribbean and its cricket. Our goal is to help West Indies cricket return to the top of World Test cricket where it belongs.”
Digicel has established a team incentives/player bonuses fund worth up to $ 6.65 million. Players now have the opportunity to earn more bonuses and appearance fees (outside of team rights) than ever before due to Digicel’s sponsorship, covering both home and away matches. An additional $1.04 miillion has been put in place for a Digicel awards fund which will cover Test and ODI match and series team awards, as well as all Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards for both Test and ODI matches, including Series trophies and medals for the team.
The A Team tour to Sri Lanka represented the first time that it had the benefit of a sponsor, which was made possible through Digicel’s $1 million investment in cricket development. Digicel has also offered support to the Windies coaching team through, the purchasing of monitoring equipment and the co-funding of additional staff members such as Bryce Cavanagh, the Windies’ new strength and conditioning coordinator.
Digicel expects to commit a minimum of $25 million on top of the contract fee to activate the sponsorship, meaning that the company will invest a minimum of $45 million, or $9 million per year, in Windies cricket over the next five years.
