The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new association with a leading provider of licensed sports merchandise and a global digital sports platform, Fanatics. With this agreement, the ICC will leverage Fanatics’ global footprint and cutting-edge technology to serve cricket fans worldwide.
The contract allows Fanatics to handle event retail and utilise the official ICC Global online store for all events, including the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, and the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023.
As part of the new agreement, Fanatics will be able to produce officially licensed ICC products using its groundbreaking vertical commerce model, as well as its extensive global manufacturing and distribution capabilities. This will provide cricket fans around the world with a massively increased selection of licensed ICC merchandise.
Moreover, Fanatics will be exhibiting the ICC licensed option at Brand Licensing Europe at ExCel London. It also has more than 60 production facilities, warehouses, and workplaces in 15 countries worldwide, including Australia and India, which will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, respectively. It collaborates with over 900 sporting institutions and clubs worldwide, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Manchester United, MotoGP, Aston Villa FC, Chelsea, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Dallas Cowboys, National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tour de France, and Formula 1.
ICC Chief Commercial Officer, Anurag Dahiya said, “We are delighted to welcome Fanatics to the ICC family. This partnership will be key in helping us take the cricket fan experience to the next level. The ICC’s licensing & merchandise programme aims to supplement cricket’s global strategy to reach more fans, through more channels, with more products from a wide range of fan merchandise – from apparel, accessories and headwear to official replica jerseys of the fans’ beloved teams. We look forward to extending our licensing presence to not only event host nations but all countries with passionate cricket-loving fans.”
The ICC’s new online store, which will be launched later this month, will be fueled by Fanatics’ manufacturing Cloud Commerce Platform (CCP), with the tech-rich expertise in delivering cricket fans with accelerated simplified navigation, high-resolution displays, frictionless checkout, and extensive payment options.
Matthew Primack, Senior Vice-President of International Business Development at Fanatics, said, “I am delighted that the ICC has chosen Fanatics to help it deliver a better retail experience to its millions of fans across the globe. Cricket fans are incredibly passionate about the sport and I am sure that they will be impressed with the retail experience and range of merchandise that will be available to them over the coming years.”