Ben Warren named MVP at Business of Cricket Awards

SCCC Head of Marketing and Digital Ben Warren was named Dinesh Patel’s MVP at the ECB’s annual Business of Cricket Awards last night.

This award recognizes an individual who always gives their best to deliver the best to everyone at the venue, from fans and stakeholders to suppliers and event delegates.

Known for his unwavering commitment and unparalleled expertise, Ben received his award from members of Dinesh’s family.

The Business of Cricket Awards took place at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground and recognized excellence in Counties First Class and the MCC as well as key contributors behind the scenes.

Hampshire County Cricket Club won three titles this year, winning the Transforming the Women’s Game award, Best International Female Spectator Experience and Sponsorship Campaign of the Year.

The club’s focus on developing women’s cricket has led to recognition for ‘Project Double It’, which saw the Utilita Bowl become the first venue to sell out a women’s international match of England, transforming its view of the commercial opportunities surrounding women’s football. The partnership between Hampshire and Utilita won Sponsorship Campaign of the Year thanks to the provision of the largest ever solar PV array at a UK stadium as well as marketing and campaign efforts.

Lancashire County Cricket Club won both the Communications Campaign of the Year and Best Digital/Data Innovation awards, demonstrating excellence in advocacy and data-driven strategy. Lancashire’s high-quality streaming of the club’s matches in Bangalore launched its brand new 24/7 channel ‘LancsTV’, which proved incredibly successful with over 500,000 views in March. Its ‘Red Rose Together’ campaign, designed to champion community work and key areas of growth in the game, has also seen hundreds of thousands of views and engagement reaching millions of people.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has won the title of Most Welcoming and Inclusive Stadium, as well as Sustainability Campaign of the Year for its innovative waste reduction initiative. The sustainability work underway at Edgbaston has been unrivaled this summer following a 114% increase in recycling rates compared to last year’s figures for the stadium. A combination of behavior change activities and new technologies helped foster a culture of sustainability.

In an exceptional year for spectator engagement, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club won the Best International Men’s Spectator Experience and Best Spectator Experience – The Hundred awards, reflecting engagement of the club to improve the fan experience.

Surrey County Cricket Club has won the Raising the Game EDI Initiative award, reflecting its commitment to fairness, diversity and inclusion across the sport. Surrey’s Academic Cricket Scholars (SACS) program aims to break down barriers for children in public schools, providing every student, regardless of gender, race or socio-economic background, with open access to all roles and opportunities available to it, thereby providing a broader platform for Pathway opportunities. and ultimately their selection opportunities to promote more diversity within the game.

Yorkshire Cricket’s Jasmine Nicholls, who became the first woman to prepare a pitch at Headingley earlier this year when she led the stadium team in cultivating conditions for the England-Pakistan Women’s IT20 match, won the Rising Award Star.

Meanwhile, Glamorgan Cricket was honored with the Best National Spectator Experience award, cementing its position as a premier destination for cricket fans.

In a special moment for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, the club has won Community Engagement Campaign of the Year, in recognition of its impactful outreach efforts.

ECB President Richard Thompson said: “Congratulations to all of this year’s BOCA winners. It has been a privilege to celebrate the best of the work carried out this year by First Class Counties and the MCC in England and Wales.

“The innovation and dedication we have shown has been truly inspiring. It’s fantastic to see the impact of Hampshire’s huge efforts to grow the women’s game, Warwickshire’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, Lancashire’s groundbreaking digital strategy and much more. All of this work shows a real commitment across the game to becoming bigger, better and more inclusive. »

BOCA 2024 winners:

Ticket or Membership Sales and Marketing Campaign of the Year
Winner: Gloucestershire Cricket

Sustainability Campaign of the Year – Waste
Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Best digital creative content
Winner: Durham County Cricket Club

Communication campaign of the year
Winner: Lancashire County Cricket Club

Community Engagement Campaign of the Year
Winner: Worcestershire County Cricket Club

Transforming women’s football
Winner: Hampshire County Cricket Club

Customer Loyalty Initiative of the Year
Winner: Essex County Cricket Club

Best digital/data innovation
Winner: Lancashire County Cricket Club

The most welcoming and inclusive stadiums
Winner: Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Best Development or New Facility (over £500,000)
Winner: Marylebone Cricket Club

Best International Female Spectator Experience
Winner: Hampshire County Cricket Club

Best International Male Spectator Experience
Winner: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

Best development or new facility (under £500,000)
Winner: Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Sponsorship campaign of the year
Winner: Hampshire County Cricket Club

Best National Viewer Experience
Winner: Glamorgan County Cricket Club

Best Viewer Experience – The Hundred
Winner: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

Raise the price of the Game EDI initiative
Winner: Surrey County Cricket Club

Rising star
Winner: Jasmine Nicholls, Yorkshire CCC

Dinesh Patel MVP
Winner: Ben Warren, CCC Somerset