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The International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s global governing body, has signed a new partnership with sports merchandise giant Fanatics.
The agreement will see Fanatics’ platform serve as the official ICC ecommerce portal for all of its events, including this year’s men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, the men’s 2023 Cricket World Cup, the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and the 2023 World Test Championship final.
Fanatics will also manage the event retail for all ICC competitions, as well as producing and selling a licensed product ranges globally.
The ICC’s new digital store, which will open later this month, will be powered by Fanatics’ cloud commerce platform (CCP), offering hi-resolution displays, frictionless checkouts and expanded payment options.
“This partnership will be key in helping us take the cricket fan experience to the next level,” said Anurag Dahiya, ICC chief commercial officer.
Matthew Primack, senior vice president of international business development at Fanatics, added: “I am delighted that the ICC has chosen Fanatics to help it deliver a better retail experience to its millions of fans across the globe.
“Cricket fans are incredibly passionate about the sport and I am sure that they will be impressed with the retail experience and range of merchandise that will be available to them over the coming years.”
Fanatics has been busy signing deals with major rights holders of late, with the ICC partnership coming in the same week as an ecommerce, event retail and licensing agreement with European soccer’s governing body Uefa.
The new contract expands the pair’s previous deal to produce unbranded apparel for men’s and women’s national soccer teams.
