We Are The Vikings!

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Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that they will be known as Yorkshire Vikings in one-day cricket from the start of the 2013 season.

Wednesday March 6 2013

The county will play under the Vikings name for the first time on their tour of Barbados, which commences on March 16 against Hampshire Royals at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

“We wanted a new name that has relevance to the region,” said Yorkshire’s Commercial Director Andy Dawson.

“The Vikings have been ingrained in Yorkshire for over 1000 years and are woven into the fabric of the County’s history. One of their legacies was establishing the Ridings of Yorkshire, which is still apparent in the geographical make-up of the region today.

“With the Vikings brand, we now have a name that is marketable and gives us a hook to promote the Club to a wider audience. Our creativity in developing a new look and feel for the team will enable us to implement new revenue streams and attract a younger audience.

“Cricket cannot be viewed simply as a sport. It is a form of entertainment that in modern times operated in a highly competitive environment vying for consumers’ leisure time.

“We hope that people and in particular children will identify with the Yorkshire Vikings and embrace the activity we have planned at Headingley this season.”

As part of the name change, the Club has also agreed a partnership with the JORVIK Viking Centre in York, where both organisations will develop a number of promotional initiatives throughout the season.

“We are entering into a partnership with the JORVIK Centre in York, which is the home of Viking history in this part of the world,” added Dawson.

“We recognise that we need to improve our matchday experience and we have some exciting plans developed around the Viking theme that will bring one-day matches alive at Headingley, especially in the Friends Life T20 competition. This is our opportunity to bring a new audience to sample and experience top class cricket in a vibrant atmosphere.”

Commenting on the partnership with Yorkshire Vikings, Sarah Maltby, Director of Attractions at the Jorvik Group, added:

“We are very excited about this new partnership with Yorkshire County Cricket Club as we see it as our opportunity to tell more people about their Viking heritage and also work with them in the wider Yorkshire community; something that it is extremely important to us as an educational charity.“

The Yorkshire Vikings, in-conjunction with kit supplier Gray Nicolls, will wear two kits in one-day cricket during 2013. A predominantly yellow shirt with Oxford blue and Cambridge blue detail will be worn for the Friends Life t20 competition and a reverse colour way of an Oxford blue shirt with yellow and Cambridge blue detail will be worn in the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition.