TRADE RELEASE
Lebara Mobile and Test Match Grounds form formidable partnership
Another sports-related sponsorship for Lebara
th
London, UK – 20 May 2010 – Lebara Mobile, the market leader in providing high quality
low-cost international mobile services from the UK, today announced that it is the new official
mobile partner to the nine cricket Test Match Grounds in England and Wales: Lord’s, The Brit
Oval, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, Headingley Carnegie, Edgbaston, The Riverside, Swalec
Cardiff and The Rose Bowl. The sponsorship deal covers perimeter boards, tri-vision sight
screens, tickets and experiential sampling at each ground.
2010 and 2011 promise to be exciting years for international cricket in England, with the home
side playing Test matches against Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
Yoganathan Ratheesan, CEO of Lebara, commented: “We are very excited to be the mobile
partner to the Test Match Grounds. The strong global interest in international cricket as well
as the huge international cricket fan base living here in the UK represent a fantastic brand
awareness opportunity for us. Lebara Mobile’s customer base is an excellent fit with the
international teams that are touring over the next two years and we look forward to being part
of their cricket experience.”
Ratheesan continues: “Cricket unites and brings people together, giving them plenty to talk
about with their loved ones back home. A large number of our customers enjoy playing and
watching cricket and our low cost calls provide the perfect solution for friends and family to
stay in touch ball by ball, post-match or anytime.”
This deal was brokered by sports marketing agency Essentially Group on behalf of the Test
Match Grounds. Sales Director Nick Hoyle said: “This is one of the most exciting
sponsorships I have been involved in and I am thrilled to be helping Lebara to make this a
huge success for the brand and its customers in cricket markets around the world. We look
forward to working with the Lebara team and hope its relationship with cricket continues to be
successful.”
This partnership represents yet another sports-related deal this year for Lebara Mobile,
further strengthening the company’s focus on sports marketing. In January, Lebara Mobile
was the broadcast partner for Eurosport's coverage of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations
tournament and in March, sponsored YouTube’s live coverage of the Indian Premier League
(IPL).
Lebara Mobile is planning to support the partnership with a number of other marketing
initiatives, including content for its recently-launched mobile internet portal, an ambassador
programme, advertising and promotions.
For more information about Lebara Mobile, please visit: www.lebaramobile.co.uk.
- Ends –
About Lebara Mobile
Lebara Mobile’s vision is to be the leader in providing low-cost, high quality international
mobile services. Lebara Mobile was founded in 2001 as part of the Lebara Group. Lebara
was ranked as the UK’s fourth fastest-growing private company in the Sunday Times ‘Fast
Track 100 listing’ in 2006, was voted Best Newcomer at the Mobile Industry Awards in 2008,
and was recently recognised as delivering the Most Innovative Service at the 2009 Mobile
News Awards.
About Essentially Group
Essentially Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of FTSE quoted Chime Communications Plc
and is a leading sports marketing, media, management and services agency. The business is
split into three divisions: sports marketing comprising rights sales, consultancy and events
management; athlete management; and professional services which includes tax, image
rights and other related services. Essentially has a strong and focussed positioning in its core
sports of expertise including cricket and rugby union providing a strategic platform for growth
and market expertise.
For more information, please contact:
Sam Harrisingh / Audrey Blackburn
MS&L for Lebara Mobile
+44 (0)20 7878 3137 / 3255
sam.harrisingh@mslworldwide.com / audrey.blackburn@mslworldwide.com
Nick Hoyle
Sales Director, Essentially Group
+44 (0) 20 7820 7000
nick.hoyle@essentiallygroup.com