ECB and npower Aim to Widen Cricket Fanbase

The England and Wales Cricket Board and npower have organised five 'Cricket in the Park' events during the npower Ashes series, which aim to attract new fans to the sport.

(PRWEB) February 18, 2009 -- The ECB, and Test series sponsors npower, hope to attract new cricket fans in 2009 by capitalising on a packed summer of cricket, including the home npower Ashes series, with five 'Cricket in the Park' events

The npower (http://cricket.npower.com/index.htm ) sponsored 'Cricket in the Park' events will take place in Southampton, Liverpool, London, Derby and Cambridge. Fans will be able to watch live action from the npower Ashes (http://cricket.npower.com/index.htm ) series on big screens and be part of the year's biggest sporting event.

The events aim to widen cricket's fanbase by reaching a broader audience, following the excitement of the last home npower Ashes series in 2005. Other ECB activity has included the formation of its 'Chance to Shine' scheme, which will boost participation in cricket related activities in schools and build links with local clubs.

Sue Heritage, sponsorship and events manager at npower commented, "2009 will be a colossal year for cricket in the UK. We want to make sure as many people experience the npower Ashes series as possible and that's why we're supporting the ECB's Cricket in the Park initiative. We aim to make this summer of cricket one to remember for fans up and down the country."

npower also plans to unveil a new website dedicated to keeping fans up to date with the latest news during a packed cricket calendar, including the npower Ashes Series. The new site will allow fans to view exclusive cricket content. There will also be information on npower's Urban Cricket initiative - a grassroots scheme, which aims to get more children to play cricket.

The five Test npower Ashes Series (http://cricket.npower.com/index.htm ) commences on the 8th July in Cardiff, with the final Test starting at the Brit Oval on 20th August 2009.

About npower:

npower has 6.6 million residential gas and electricity accounts throughout the UK.

Its key sites are Worcester, Kingswinford, Oldbury, Solihull, Leeds and Stoke on Trent. npower retail employs around 7,600 staff

npower is a market leader in renewable energy and sources the green energy for juice directly from renewable sources, at no extra cost

Join the energy industry discussion on npower's interactive debating website www.brighterenergydebate.com where you can post your questions, views and comments.

For more information on npower, please call:

Tim Percival

npower

Oak House

1 Bridgwater Road

Worcester

WR4 9FP

01905 340 876

cricket.npower.com/index.htm

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