Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) today announced that J.P. Morgan, the global financial services firm, has become a major sponsor of Lord’s and its iconic Media Centre. The four-year sponsorship deal, which runs through to the end of 2014, is the biggest and most comprehensive in MCC’s 224-year history.
The partnership delivers a comprehensive package of rights including the naming of the building – the J.P. Morgan Media Centre – hospitality facilities and widespread branding at the Home of Cricket.
The J.P. Morgan Media Centre has recently reinforced its reputation as the capital’s ultra-modern meetings and events hub, hosting inspiring executive coaching sessions and corporate dinners with breathtaking views. Its tiered seating, state-of-the-art AV and smooth connectivity have also provided the ideal setting for forum-style events such as Etherlive’s The Gathering, a showcase of cutting-edge technology in live events.
Sponsorships like J.P. Morgan’s allow MCC to build and enhance its ongoing cricket-related projects across the globe. Its activities range from international youth programmes and lessons in sportsmanship to the building of pitches for schools in Afghanistan. The Club also provides financial and administrative backing of the MCC University cricket academies in England and Wales.
MCC Chief Executive Keith Bradshaw and Daniel Pinto, Chairman of J.P. Morgan’s European Management Committee, signed the contract today in the J.P. Morgan Media Centre, a multi award-winning design opened in 1999.
Constructed by ship builders, the single shell, all aluminium Media Centre stands fifteen metres above the pitch at Lord’s. It has accommodated international media for all major matches at Lord’s since it opened, including the 1999 ICC World Cup Final, the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 Final and Test matches featuring every Test-playing nation in the world.
“MCC is delighted to welcome J.P. Morgan as our principal sponsor,” said Bradshaw. “We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial partnership, which will ensure MCC’s continued investment in cricket-related projects around the world. The Media Centre is a highly visible, iconic building, and it is fitting that a global institution such as J.P. Morgan is now its sponsor.”
“J.P. Morgan is proud and honoured to be a sponsor of Lord’s,” said Pinto. “This sponsorship gives us an exceptional opportunity to support the Home of Cricket and enhances our visibility in the international markets where MCC carries out its work.”
Jon Robinson, Head of Sales and Marketing at MCC said, “We’re thrilled that J.P. Morgan, a world-leading financial organisation, has come on board to sponsor the Media Centre at Lord’s. This is a very good strategic fit for both parties and the Club is very much looking forward to working with J.P. Morgan in the years to come.”
As a result of the sponsorship agreement, J.P. Morgan’s branding will be seen from today in a number of areas at Lord’s, including prominent advertising boards at ground level and the entire Upper Levels of the Compton and Edrich Stands. J.P. Morgan will also have use of the many Meetings and Events facilities at the Home of Cricket, including the Long Room in the Lord’s Pavilion.
