ICC and Fanatics Announce New Omnichannel Partnership to Enhance Global Fan Experience
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Fanatics, a leading provider of licensed sports merchandise and global digital sports platform, today announced a new partnership that will see the ICC take advantage of Fanatics’ global footprint and state of the art technology to better serve cricket fans across the world.
The agreement will see Fanatics operate the official ICC Global online store for all events and manage event retail including the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 and the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023. As part of the new deal, Fanatics will also be able to manufacture officially licensed ICC product utilising Fanatics’ innovative vertical commerce model, widespread global manufacturing and distribution capabilities. This will give cricket fans access to a significantly expanded assortment of licensed ICC merchandise wherever they are based in the world.
Fanatics, which will be showcasing the ICC licensing opportunity at Brand Licensing Europe at ExCel London, has more than 60 manufacturing facilities, distribution centres and offices in 15 countries throughout the world, including Australia and India, the hosts of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. It partners with more than 900 sporting organisations and clubs across the globe, including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea, NFL, NBA, MLB, International Olympic Committee, Tour De France and Formula One.
ICC Chief Commercial Officer, Anurag Dahiya said: “We are delighted to welcome Fanatics to the ICC family. This partnership will be key in helping us take the cricket fan experience to the next level. The ICC's licensing & merchandise programme aims to supplement cricket’s global strategy to reach more fans, through more channels, with more products from a wide range of fan merchandise - from apparel, accessories and headwear to official replica jerseys of the fans’ beloved teams. We look forward to extending our licensing presence to not only event host nations but all countries with passionate cricket-loving fans.”
The new online store for the ICC, which will open this month, will be powered by Fanatics’ industry leading Cloud Commerce Platform (CCP) with the tech rich experience providing cricket fans with a rapid streamlined navigation, featuring hi-resolution displays, frictionless checkout and expanded payment options.
Matthew Primack, Senior Vice-President of International Business Development at Fanatics, said: “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.”