Ashes Sponsor CommBank's 'Cricket Club' Tickets/Grants

Another Ashes series is already upon us and the series title sponsor Commonwealth Bank is activating its rights by inviting cricket fans to ‘Get in the Game’ – via grass roots grants and/or test ticket competitions – by joining its ‘CommBank Cricket Club’.

Launched in early November, this isn’t positioned as a typical cricket club: you don’t have to be nominated, seconded or even connected to become a member, there is no club tie, no dress code of any kind, you can wear what you like and there’s not even a clubhouse.

Indeed, as the egalitarian financial services brand itself says: ‘Our clubhouse is every house – every house where cricket has been watched, played or just talked about’.

The bank’s support for cricket in Australia stretches from regional youth and community cricket clubs across, to sponsoring the nation’s men’s test team and being the sponsor of the 2013/14 Commonwealth Bank Ashes Series and its Cricket Club objective is simply to ’make cricket even better wherever we can’.

The series sponsor is offering all Australians (not just bank customers) an opportunity to benefit from the free, online club who’s members enjoying a range of benefits for themselves and their local cricket club.

Club members who are also members of Australian local community cricket clubs can apply for funding, equipment and unique support packages.

The 2014 ‘CommBank Cricket Club Grants for Grassroots’ program will award 90 cricket clubs with funding and training equipment. Each prize includes a cash grant of $1,000 and an equipment pack containing essential training and playing gear such as stumps, balls and markers.

In addition, a Super Grant for one community club will have its ‘Grants for Grassroots’ grant upgraded to $10,000.

In addition, the 2014 ‘CommBank Cricket Club Empowerment Projects’ will see five community clubs win bespoke support packages to address an area of need for the club.

This can range from providing equipment or infrastructure upgrades, to giving the clubhouse a makeover or helping to champion women’s cricket or youth cricket.

The CommBank Cricket Club will provide support including resources, equipment and people to get the job done.

Former Australian test cricketer and CommBank Cricket Club ambassador Michael Hussey encourages clubs of all sizes, in all locations to apply.

‘Local cricket clubs across the country play a pivotal role in the development of cricketers at all levels,’ says Hussey. ‘The support and contributions from Commonwealth Bank help clubs make the game more accessible and enjoyable for players, ensuring cricket continues to be an important part of our community.’

Furthermore, all club members actually attending Ashes matches will be given extras: including free sports radios (to listen to the live commentary), as well as having access to exclusive fast queues at selected entrances and in-stadium facilities and services.

And for those who don’t currently have tickets, to watch the oldest rivalry in cricket unfurl, the bank is giving away tickets to every one of five match test series the Tests and is running an online ticket competition, called ‘Get To A Game’, for its club members to give away 90 pairs of tickets to every Ashes game.

And the initiative doesn’t just stop with vanilla ticket pairs.

The bank is also giving its members a set of unique Ashes cricket experiences: including a pair of Gold Category tickets to every test which not only includes flights, accommodation and top seats, but also enables the member to meet the team captains personally before the match and to walk the boundary at lunch.

Plus the bank is offering other member prizes such as access to team training sessions, visits to the dressing rooms, and cricket bats signed by the whole Australian Men’s Test team.

And, in a link with broadcaster Channel 9, one member will even get to watch some of the game from the Channel 9 commentary box

This Ashes ticket giveaway sees the brand use its rights primarily for a fairly basic list building exercise.

To become club members and enter the competition, consumers simply need to visit the campaign website and supply the bank with their names and contact details.

Of course, as ever for those who want to avoid being sent promotional and marketing material from Commonwealth Bank and Cricket Australia, there is a simple box to check.

To further activate its rights, the bank will also have its CommBank Crew at the games running further competition and giving away cricket prizes including signed shirts and bats.

There is also a branded experiential space called the ‘CommBank Cricket Club House’ which gives members the opportunity to see some famous Ashes cricket memorabilia that the bank has on loan from the Bradman Museum.

The club house also offers members a chance to try their hand at commentating on the game in its special commentary booth set up for you to test your cricket calling skills, save them and share them.

Comment

The bank, which reportedly beat off competition from Investec to gain the Ashes title sponsorship, has replaced previous incumbent Vodafone.

In fact, CommBank has partnered with Australian cricket for more than a quarter of a century and is Cricket Australia’s longest standing partner.

Indeed CommBank’s support of the game stretches from sponsoring the Australian Test Team and the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, to backing the Commonwealth Bank Ashes Series, the Australian Country Cricket Championships and the Imparja Cup.

According to Vittoria Shortt, CommBank Chief Marketing Officer, the new CommBank Cricket Club aims to enhance the Bank’s support of Australian cricket from a grassroots level and beyond in an effort to increase the reach and inclusivity of the sport.

‘At CommBank we support Australian cricket at every level, from our elite Ashes teams to our community clubs hosting all levels of players, right through to supporters and enthusiasts of the game,’ explains Shortt.

‘We know it’s the local cricket clubs that are fostering the growth of young players, which is why, through our CommBank Cricket Club we are helping local clubs across Australia. Our Grants for Grassroots program has been extremely popular over the past five years and we are pleased to continue supporting local clubs, which play such an important role in the community and the overall popularity of the game.’

Commonwealth Bank is one of two Cricket Australia Platinum partners (alongside VB) and its previous activation include 2012’s a campaign fronted by Hussey and revolving around his daily video posts called ‘Hussey’s Lunchtime Legends Challenge’

Another CommBank cricket campaign earlier in 2013 was its photo led ‘Cricket Across the Nation’ initiative.

This was a photo based celebration of cricket, in all its forms, which saw Australians submit more than 10,000 photos of games played in the backyards, the alleys, the parks, the beaches and the offices of Australia.

All images were hosted in a gallery on Facebook and the entrant who sent in the winning image won a trip to the 2013 Ashes test at Lords.

Other previous work for its one day and 20/20 sponsorships included a YouTube led ‘Tips & Techniques’ skills initiative which saw the Commonwealth Bank sit down with members of the Aussie Cricket Team and ask them questions from real cricket fans.