More Digicel funds for WI cricket

Digicel, prinicipal sponsor of West Indies cricket, on Sunday 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 million.

According to Digicel Marketing Director, Ben Atherton, “The substantial sponsorship package represents only the starting point of our commitment to the growth of the game in the region.{{more}}

According to a release from Digicel, in addition to the master contract with the WICB, they are also focused on effectively driving the growth of West Indies cricket by giving incentives for performances and supporting players, making cricket more accessible to Caribbean communities, and bringing new energy and dynamism to the promotion of the game.”

Digicel has established a team incentives/player bonuses fund worth up to US$6.65 million. This fund makes it possible for players to earn bonuses and appearance fees outside of team rights for both home and away matches.

Digicel awards fund

An additional US$1.04 million (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$1 million 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.

Purchasing TV rights

The release also said that 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$25 million on top of the contract fee to activate the sponsorship, meaning that the company will invest a minimum of US$45 million, or US$9 million per year, in Windies cricket over the next five years to help bring the team back to the top of world Test cricket.