Hollywoodbets scores stadium deal with SA’s Dolphins
South African sports betting operator Hollywoodbets has acquired the naming rights to Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, home of KwaZulu-Natal-based cricket franchises the Dolphins and Durban Heat.
Under the five-year agreement, which runs to the end of the 2023-24 season, the facility will be known as the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium.
The venue has undergone a major revamp in recent months ahead of the 2019-20 domestic cricket season, and will also host matches featuring the England national team.
Hollywoodbets already has strong links with the Dolphins, serving as the team's principal sponsor in a deal that has seen it renamed the Hollywoodbets Dolphins. The team competes in South Africa's main first class cricket competition, the Sunfoil Series, as well as in the one-day Momentum Cup and the Ram Slam Twenty20 competition.
“Our first step into cricket started in the 2015/16 season as associate sponsors of the then Sunfoil Dolphins, and then becoming title sponsors the following year,” Hollywoodbets’s media and communications executive Devin Heffer explained.
Durban Heat, the stadium's other tenant, plays in the Mzansi Super League Twenty20 league.
“This stadium is indisputably one of the most iconic grounds in world cricket,” Heffer continued. “There is also a lot of work going into reviving and showcasing the history of Kingsmead,
“We want test cricket back at Kingsmead. But most importantly, we want the fans back at Kingsmead. Our goal is to make Kingsmead the place to be for every cricketing occasion.”
KwaZulu-Natal Cricket chief executive Heinrich Strydom added: “As a company with its roots in the city, it’s fantastic that we can work so closely together from both a team sponsorship and stadium sponsorship perspective.
“We are very excited about this announcement and what it will mean for the future of cricket in KZN.”
Image: Graham Dean