Cricket Australia seeks new front of shirt sponsor as Alinta Energy ends partnership

Cricket Australia is seeking a new partner for its front of shirt sponsorship for the men’s cricket team across all formats of the game with Alinta Energy set to end its role as ‘Principal Partner’ after the 2022/23 season.

As revealed by Sponsorship News in June, Alinta has chosen not to renew the sponsorship that it has held for the past five years.

Alinta joined with Cricket Australia in 2018 when the reputation of the men's cricket team had been impacted by the 'sandpaper gate' affair and has contributed $40 million to the sport in that time.

As Principal Partner since the that time, Alinta has branded the shirtfronts of the Australian men’s cricket team, covering Test Matches, One Day Internationals and International T20 competitions since July 2018. The deal extends from the elite level to grassroots cricket through support of the national digital platform MyCricket.

Cricket Australia Senior Commercial Manager, Nick Thodey told SportBusiness that the Australian energy company advised Cricket Australia earlier this year that the brand would transition to a new marketing strategy, having achieved its awareness goals as the main shirt sponsor.

Thodey advised "they (Alinta) were traditionally a Western Australian energy brand that had about 70% awareness on the West Coast around Perth and really wanted to use cricket to grow their awareness on the East Coast. At that time, they had very low levels of awareness and it’s grown up to between 35 to 40% of cricket fans, who are now aware of them as a brand, so the salience has been hugely successful for them.”

Alinta's move comes as sponsorships by fossil fuel and mining companies comes under increasing scrutiny.

However, the company did not reference that in a statement advising of the end of the sponsorship, advising “due to a change in its brand strategy, Alinta Energy has decided to end the partnership next year.”

Cricket Australia will now begin the process of selling its most valuable national team sponsorship asset.

The governing body recently agreed a deal with NRMA Insurance to become the naming rights sponsor of its men’s national team Test matches on home territory for the next four seasons and to become the ‘Official Insurance Partner of the men’s and women’s international cricket teams’.