It's the Yorkshire Vikings

By Graham Hardcastle

Yorkshire have unveiled their new limited overs name as the Vikings. The White Rose county revealed the news at a launch at York’s Jorvik Centre, with whom they have signed a partnership to develop a number of promotional initiatives throughout the summer.

It will be their fourth different name for coloured-clothing cricket after Phoenix, Tykes and, most recently, Carnegie, who were used as part of a sponsorship deal with Leeds Metropolitan University.

Leeds Met Carnegie have also sponsored their Headingley ground, although the county are now seeking a new naming rights partner along with Leeds Rugby to come into effect as soon as possible.

“We obviously wanted something with links to Yorkshire, and the Vikings have left a legacy in the county,” explained the club’s commercial director Andy Dawson. “We wanted something which was marketable and something that would add to the match-day experience, that we could have fun with.

“We also wanted something that would be educational and the Vikings are on the national curriculum in schools at Key Stage one, two and three. We also wanted something we could turn into a mascot who could identify with the children and have a chance of winning the mascot race at Finals Day later this summer.”

The name will be used for the first time in match action during their pre-season tour of Barbados when they play Hampshire on March 16.

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale, fellow batsman Adam Lyth and fast bowlers Ryan Sidebottom and Moin Ashraf helped launch the name and two new yellow and blue one-day kits by parading through the Coppergate shopping area of York with a handful of Vikings for company.

Ashraf said: “We’ve got this brand of the Yorkshire Vikings now, which I’m really happy with. It gives the club a great opportunity to have a bit of fun with it and get the youngsters involved. It’s quite traditional yet inventive. I think it works.”

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have accelerated their search for a new chief executive following the news that current incumbent Colin Graves has been nominated for the role of the ECB’s deputy chairman earlier this week.

The plan was to appoint a new chief executive at some point this year to fill the role Stewart Regan vacated when he joined the Scottish FA in 2010, but that process has been brought forward and the job has already been advertised.

Graves took on the title of executive chairman last summer when he played a bigger part in the day-to-day running of the club, but he will revert to his original title of chairman once an appointment has been made.

Date: 06/03/2013 15:22:52 by Graham Hardcastle
In: Yorkshire | Today | England |