Northamptonshire County Cricket Club has entered a new era after announcing the first naming rights partnership in its 148 year history, marking a significant milestone in the club’s long term development strategy.
As part of a landmark agreement with lead principal partner cinch, the home of the Steelbacks has officially been renamed the cinch County Ground. The six-year deal represents a major investment and signals a shared commitment to sustainable growth, innovation and community impact.
The newly named cinch County Ground has established a renowned reputation for delivering world-class cricket on the pitch and first-class hospitality off it. The club continues to extensively expand its events business and this latest deal with cinch will help further grow the hospitality and events elements of the premier sporting stadium.
The agreement builds on a successful four-year partnership between the club and cinch, extending a relationship founded on shared values and collaborative success. The significant investment from cinch will help drive diversification at the club, strengthen financial resilience and support further development both on and off the field. It will also play a key role in enhancing the supporter experience and expanding the ground’s growing events offering.
Founded in 1878, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club has never previously entered a stadium naming rights agreement, making the rebrand a defining moment in its history. The new identity was officially unveiled at a celebratory event at the ground, attended by professional players, special guests, schools and local community groups.
Daniel Vernon, Chief Operating Officer at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, said: “This is a landmark moment for us as a club. We have never had a naming rights partner before, so to be able to take this step with cinch is incredibly special. Expanding our partnership in this way strengthens our commercial foundations and supports our long-term vision, allowing us to enhance the experience for supporters, invest in our facilities and continue to grow our outreach and community work.
“Having commercial partners and the support we have from the business community across Northamptonshire and the wider region is so important. It’s integral to everything we do here at the club. All our outreach and the programmes we do in the community and across Northamptonshire wouldn’t exist without such support.
“We are moving forward on our journey with cinch and we are keen to continue accelerating the expansion of our non-cricket business and this partnership plays a key part in that progression. We only host cricket 50 days a year, which would mean for 315 days a year the ground would effectively sit empty, so expanding on our non-cricket business is increasingly important. We have fantastic spaces here, it is an amazing venue, and we want more people to use it for events and functions.”
Chief Executive Ray Payne added: “It is an extremely exciting time for the club. Opportunities of this scale, with a national brand like cinch, do not come along often. This deal supports our ambition to establish the ground as a leading multi-use events venue, while also providing the stability needed to invest not only in first-class cricket but in our junior pathways, schools programmes and community initiatives. Everyone associated with the club is immensely proud to see our partnership with cinch reach this next stage, extending our relationship towards a decade.”
Situated in the heart of Northampton, the cinch County Ground offers unique spaces for events and hospitality, alongside panoramic views of the historic cricket ground. Capacity across the venue’s portfolio of suites ranges from 10 to 900 guests with 11 dedicated event spaces at the ground, which includes The Arena, the largest conference and events space in Northampton.
As the club’s lead principal partner, cinch branding already features prominently throughout the home of the Steelbacks and has been further enhanced through the renaming of the ground and updated visual identity. For cinch, the partnership reflects its continued investment in Northamptonshire, where the nationwide business employs more than 2,000 people alone.
Avril Palmer-Lavery, Chairman at Constellation Automotive Group, owners of cinch, said: “Our partnership with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club has gone from strength to strength, and this naming rights agreement represents a natural next step in that journey. The club has a proud heritage, a strong connection to its community and clear ambitions for the future, which closely align with cinch’s own values.
“We’re proud to put our name to such an iconic venue and excited about what we can achieve together over the coming years, both in terms of unforgettable matchday experiences and positive impact across the county.”
The enhanced partnership will also support the continuation and expansion of the club’s extensive community programmes, benefiting schools, charities and grassroots cricket across Northamptonshire and neighbouring counties.
To mark the recent announcement, schoolchildren and community group members were invited to the ground to take part in free cricket coaching sessions led by Steelbacks captain David Willey, alongside players from the club’s men’s and women’s professional squads.
David said: “To have this six-year partnership with cinch is massive for the club, it’s fantastic, and their support enables us to deliver our programmes and grassroots cricket into the community.
“It’s such a fantastic brand, a household name, it’s amazing to be the cinch County Ground. To have them on board in partnership with the club is amazing, we’re really thankful and appreciative of their support.
“From as young as I can remember I was always here at the ground, it was my second home. My dad played here and I grew up playing my cricket here. I started my career on the pathway and then went into the first team. To be here at 36 years old and still playing and hopefully giving back to the club and Northamptonshire is fantastic. We’re not able to do that without the support of cinch.
“It was great to see schoolchildren and community groups like Cube Disability enjoying cricket at the event. It is a huge part of what the club is trying to achieve and to give people the opportunity to get out here on the outfield is great.
“It might be an introduction to cricket for some of them and for others it might just be a great experience to come to somewhere where they can watch the game. To have the opportunity to play a bit of cricket and have some fun on the outfield is really good and to have that connection with the community is really important.”
For more information about the facilities available visit the cinch County Ground website.
For more information, visit the cinch website.
