Following the news that several sponsors are to null their contracts with Yorkshire County Cricket Club (CCC) following the fallout from the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal;

Patrick Kinch, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, a leading analytics and data company, offers his view:

“The news that Yorkshire’s stadium title sponsor, Emerald, will cancel its naming rights contract for Headingley Stadium is a big blow for Yorkshire’s commercial revenue. The deal is estimated to be worth $400,000 annually, $2m over its five-year length, and with other sponsors such as Anchor and Yorkshire Tea following suit, the potential annual losses for Yorkshire could reach closer to $500,000.

“County cricket is already a cash poor sector, with the counties typically losing money and relying on England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) grants and stadium Test Match designation to boost their revenue, with only the T20 Blast and The Hundred able to provide full venues ahead of the County Championship and One Day Cup. Yorkshire is fortunate in that it is both a venue for The Hundred and often used for international fixtures. However, with the idea being muted that Yorkshire is to be stripped of its international host privileges by politicians and the Department for Digital Culture Media & Sport (DCMS), further financial strife through lost ticket revenues may be on the way, should the racism row with Rafiq be resolved unsatisfactorily.

“Emerald, Anchor and Yorkshire Tea’s immediate dissociation from Yorkshire CCC is in an interesting case in brand/rights holder association. The pull-out of these brands from their Yorkshire CCC deals highlights the importance of public image for rights holders to welcome and maintain brand partnerships. Brands are naturally less likely to pin their name to a rights holder who is mired in a scandal as sensitive as the one unfolding in Yorkshire, should consumers then associate the brand as being complicit in said issue.

“With a committee hearing to take place later this month at the DCMS, it would be no surprise if more public details emerging about the purported racism issue at the club leads to further sponsorship contract cancelations. Yorkshire CCC could be left with a rather bare portfolio by the summer of 2022.”