Dubai: Emirates airline has made yet another significant contribution to the promotion of cricket. Durham County Cricket Club's home ground in the United Kingdom will be known as Emirates International Cricket ground. This venue located at Chester-le-Street near Newcastle in the North East of England will become Emirates' first dedicated cricket stadium.
Incidentally, it will also be the third international sports stadium to be named by the airline around the world. The other two stadiums are Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal and The Sevens, a multi-sports facility in Dubai which was opened recently.
Emirates is actively involved in promoting cricket around the world in a big way. The renaming of the ground is an integral part of a six-year sponsorship agreement with the Durham club, which also includes branding on the team's Twenty20 shirts. They have an official partnership with the International Cricket Council, as well as the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. They are also gearing up for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup as a major partner and for the 2011 Indian Premier League as shirt sponsor of the King's XI Punjab.
A ceremony to reveal the new stadium name, involving a giant pitch banner, was held before the club's home Twenty20 match against the Lancashire Lightning on Friday.
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman Emirates Airline and Group, who attended the unveiling, said: "The renaming of Durham's County Ground to the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground will further cement our presence in the North East where we already fly daily from Newcastle to Dubai and beyond. The atmosphere at the game was something very special and I'm tremendously proud to attach the Emirates brand to a venue so important within the North East community."
Durham County Cricket Club are the holders of the LV County Championship. Their players include England skipper Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison, South Africa's Dale Benkenstein and Australia's Michael Di Venuto.
