Image Credit- Associate Affiliate
The Ageas Bowl, Hampshire’s home field, will now be
known as the Utilita Bowl after the team and Utilita Energy reached a new
naming-rights agreement. The goal of the agreement is for the ground to be
renowned as the “world’s greenest cricket ground.”
The Rose Bowl, which was the venue’s original name
when it opened in 2001, has since evolved into a prominent South Coast location
for sport, music and entertainment. Its golf course and on-site hotels back
onto a pitch that has played host to 50 men’s internationals over the past 20
years, including the first-ever World Test Championship final in 2021.
As the host venue for Southern Brave in the Hundred,
the venue is scheduled to host 19 more international events between 2025 and
2031, including a Men’s Ashes Test in 2027 and a Women’s Ashes Test in 2031.
The club management recently confirmed that they have been in talks with
“prospective investors,” including GMR Group, the co-owners of Delhi
Capitals.
More than 1,000 solar panels will be installed as part
of the ground’s “pro-planet partnership” initiative. These panels can
produce about 25% of the stadium’s annual electricity needs. A club statement
claims that this will save the venue six figures in electricity expenditures
annually in addition to 80 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, which is
equivalent to the amount of emissions produced by driving.
“We’re delighted to partner with Utilita, a
Hampshire-based business who share our values and can now help shape our vision
of creating the greenest international cricket venue in the world,” David
Mann, CEO at Utilita Bowl, said. “This is the dawn of a new era for the
venue, and we’re excited by the possibilities this partnership will
offer.”