Kia Summer Smash reaches audience of one million

The Cricketer devised and ran the grass roots women's competition on behalf of sponsors Kia

Finals day of the Kia Summer Smash will take place at the Kia Oval on Friday September 20th.

The first summer of this nationwide grassroots tournament for female cricketers has been a huge success and has seen over 500 players from nearly 50 clubs compete in front of thousands of spectators at four regional festivals. Players' ages ranged from 13-55 with all backgrounds and ethnicities represented.

The journey began back in January when The Cricketer conceptualised the competition and began the process of putting the idea into practice. This included overseeing all the logistical challenges of running and promoting a brand-new nationwide grass roots cricket competition. 

The competition, delivered on behalf of Korean motor giant Kia, was designed to complement Kia's long-standing support of women's professional cricket. Kia wanted to create a competition which was delivered to with the same professionalism and passion as the Kia Super League.

The Kia Summer Smash finals day will feature the winners of four regional festivals, held across the country. Plympton (Western champions), Hursley Park (Southern), Sessay (Northern) and Berkswell (Midlands) will enjoy the once in a lifetime opportunity to play at the Kia Oval – only five days after the men's Ashes Test concluded.

It has been a truly special summer for all who took part, and the winners will receive the trophy from England Women's captain Heather Knight.

^{The Southern Festival was won by Hursley Park}

Kia branding was prominent at each festival with playing shirts, stumps, boundary markers, advertising boards and gazebos all displaying the car manufacturer's logo and messaging. The Southern and Midlands Festival welcomed Kia cars from a local dealership on the boundary's edge, while brand new Kia Stonics, each wrapped in the colours of a Kia Super League team, were on show at the Southern Festival.

Members of the England Women's team were filmed by The Cricketer to record special good luck and congratulatory messages for those competing in the Kia Summer Smash. These videos were widely shared by hundreds of followers and the players themselves, and stars such as Danni Hazel, Ebony Rainford-Brent and Jenny Gunn were on hand to support and mingle with players and spectators at the festivals.

The Cricketer ran a coordinated PR campaign which included activating a bespoke social media channel and Kia Summer Smash website while also promoting the tournament via our own channels. As well as sustained presence via The Cricketer channels in print and online, the tournament generated local, regional and national coverage with segments on BBC Radio Berkshire and South West and was also covered by The Telegraph as part of their dedicated Women’s Sport section. The tournament's total reach exceeded an audience of one million.