Lancashire Cricket has developed a partnership extension with the American multinational hotel and hospitality chain, Hilton.
Following this deal, the brand will continue to remain the official hotel partner of the club. The long-term, multi-award-winning collaboration has been renewed for an additional year, with Hilton having increased its financial backing to help Lancashire Thunder for the following three years.
A key component of the arrangement includes Hilton’s involvement in increasing Lancashire Thunder’s professional player roster to 16 by supporting four extra full-time contracts. The four players are Olivia Bell, Danielle Collins, Ailsa Lister, and Hannah Rainey. With this move, Thunder are leading the way with the most full-time professionals in England’s domestic women’s league structure.
The No Boundaries campaign, which began in 2023 as an arrangement between Hilton and Lancashire Thunder and bagged the sponsorship, sales, and marketing award at last year’s Stadium Business Awards, will also be continued under the extended agreement. The campaign will continue with an emphasis on breaking down boundaries and providing the greatest possible support to the Thunder’s playing team and pathway system, allowing them to stay on top of their game. As of now, the No Boundaries campaign has established customised education and support packages, as well as enhanced access to a sports doctor and nutritionist who is experienced in the well-being of female athletes.
Moreover, development was recently completed to increase the on-site Hilton Garden Inn Manchester at Emirates Old Trafford, which has been operational since 2017, by another 100 bedrooms, bringing the total occupancy to 250 and completing the venue’s transformation over the previous decade.
For the third year in a row, Hilton was the lead sponsor of Lancashire Cricket and Thunder’s combined pre-season trips to Dubai and Bangalore in March. The worldwide hotel brand is also the new front-of-shirt sponsor for the Lancashire Thunder playing kit, which was unveiled last month and was worn for the first time during preseason.
Stijn Bastiaens, Vice President Marketing and Loyalty Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton, commented, “We are so proud to continue our partnership with Lancashire Cricket and to be able to increase our support to the Lancashire Thunder team. We are thrilled to see the progress the team has made over the last few years. At Hilton, we are committed to building a more inclusive society for our guests, team members, partners and the communities in which we operate in, which is why we have enhanced our sponsorship, allowing Thunder to stay at the top of their game.
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive of Lancashire Cricket, said, “We are delighted to have extended our flagship partnership with Hilton and are incredibly excited by the increased funding they are providing to support our ever-growing Lancashire Thunder programme – as we look to continue to lead the way in the women’s domestic game and grow women’s cricket across the North West. After completing the extension of the Hilton Garden Inn Manchester at Emirates Old Trafford’s, which was officially opened in November, we are really pleased that we will be working together with Hilton for the next three years – as they continue to support our Men’s and Women’s squads on the field.
“The four additional contracts being funded by Hilton will increase Thunder’s squad to 15 professional players – currently the largest amongst the eight regions – and the benefit that this will have to the players themselves, and to new Head Coach Chris Read, can’t be understated; as four more members of the squad are able to train and dedicate their time to cricket knowing they are secure financially.”