The Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Clean Slate Studioz have announced a series of new initiatives as part of their Principal Partnership at Headingley.
As part of this partnership, young female cricketers will be provided with free kits, with the Northern Diamonds’ shirts also being sponsored by Clean Slate Studioz.
The announcements coincided with the official unveiling of the Clean Slate branding on the East Stand and Pavilion, now known as the Clean Slate Pavilion, at Headingley by Guest of Honour Tracey Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire. This comes following the announcement in April which saw Clean Slate named as the first Indian business to land a sponsorship deal with a major sports venue in the UK.
Present at the photocall and press conference were high-profile dignitaries including Dr Shashank Vikram the Consulate General of India, YCCC Chairman Lord Patel, Director of Women’s cricket James Carr, Managing Director of Yorkshire Cricket Darren Gough, Clean Slate Founder Karnesh Ssharma and Co-Founder Amreesh Chandra, as well as the Northern Diamonds team.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “I am happy to welcome Clean Slate as Principal Partner across Yorkshire Cricket County Club and the women’s team Northern Diamonds, and hope this is the start of a long relationship between Clean Slate and the region.
“Following the successful visit by the High Commission of India to West Yorkshire last month, I want to foster even stronger international links between our incredible cultural and creative businesses and India. I hope Clean Slate is the first of many Indian businesses that see the value in partnering with organisations in our region.
“Sport, culture, and the creative sector can be a great force for promoting inclusivity. Clean Slate’s focus on putting women and diversity centre stage aligns with my goals as Mayor to make sure cultural activity for all is at the heart of our recovery and ongoing growth.”
During the press gathering, Clean Slate revealed they will initially provide free cricket wear and equipment to young female cricketers to inspire more girls in Yorkshire to take up the sport and to battle the rising costs of participating at youth level. This comes after a 2022 survey found that more than one million girls lose interest in physical activity as teenagers, with 43% saying they enjoyed sport in primary school but no longer felt inspired to play once they joined senior school . The BBC also reports that more than half of girls in the UK aged between 12 and 16 do not play any sports.
Clean Slate also announced plans to explore a partnership between the Clean Slate Foundation and the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, with the prospect of building a community enterprise based in the county to be known as Clean House. The purpose of Clean House will be to jointly promote, build, and invest in the community through film, arts, sports, and education. Further details and plans for this are set to be explored during a roundtable meeting on Tuesday 3rd May between Clean Slate, Mayor of West Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP).
As an Indian-based entertainment streaming business with female empowerment at the heart of its purpose, Clean Slate has a stated mission for equality. The partnership with YCCC, Northern Diamonds and subsequent sponsor deals with the stadium sees the opportunity for Headingley to drive inclusivity, diversity, and engagement through cricket, both as a sporting venue and heart of a sporting community.