AUGUST 07, 2005, KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Digicel, title sponsor of West Indies cricket, today reaffirmed that its total commitment to West Indies cricket is only partially reflected in the substantial financial investment made to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) through the five-year home and away contract of US$19.75 m.
Beyond the master contract with the WICB, Digicel is focused on effectively driving the growth of West Indies cricket by incentivizing performances and supporting players, making cricket more accessible to Caribbean communities, and bringing new energy and dynamism to the promotion of the game.
According to Digicel Marketing Director, Mr Ben Atherton, “The substantial sponsorship package represents only the starting point of our commitment to the growth of the game in the region.
“As a company that is solely based in the Caribbean and staffed by almost 1,000 Caribbean nationals, we believe in the Caribbean and its cricket. Our goal is to help West Indies cricket return to the top of World Test cricket where it belongs.”
Digicel has established a team incentives/player bonuses fund worth up to US$ 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 US$1.04m (based on US$208,000 already paid in 2005) 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 the A team had the benefit of a sponsor, which was made possible through Digicel’s US$1m 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.
In addition, Digicel and the WICB are dedicated to bringing cricket back home to the Caribbean by purchasing TV rights to broadcast away series for the next five years, giving West Indies fans their first opportunity to see all West Indies away games on local television stations, as well as selected international games such as the Ashes.
Digicel expects to commit a minimum of US$25m on top of the contract fee to activate the sponsorship, meaning that the company will invest a minimum of US$45m, or US$9m per year, in Windies cricket over the next five years to help bring the team back to the top of world Test cricket.
ABOUT DIGICEL
Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the fastest growing mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean. In four years, Digicel has become renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services, and state-of-the-art handsets.
By offering innovative mobile services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting edge of mobile communications.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and operates in nine countries including Aruba, Barbados, Curaçao, The Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines with plans to launch in Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti. Digicel entered into an agreement in June 2005 to acquire Cingular Wireless’ Bermuda and Caribbean operations that, subject to regulatory agreement, will significantly increase the size of Digicel’s Pan-Caribbean network to include Bermuda, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. It is the largest GSM mobile operator in the region and plans to extend its footprint into other Caribbean countries.
The company is the lead sponsor of Caribbean sports teams including the West Indies Cricket Team, Special Olympics teams across the Caribbean and is title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Football Union Cup, which involves over 30 Caribbean countries and is an important qualifier towards the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Visit http://www.digicelgroup.com/ for more information on Digicel.