Essex Cricket are proud to announce that existing Principal Partner, Ambassador Cruise Line, has taken on the naming rights to the Club’s home ground in a multi-year agreement.
In 2025, the venue in the heart of Chelmsford will celebrate 100 years of hosting first-class cricket. It will serve as the home ground for all Essex Men’s and Women’s matches this season and will now be called the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Ambassador Cruise Line has been a Principal Partner of the Club since 2022, and last April, signed a three-year extension to their partnership.
Ambassador was launched in 2021 and welcomed guests on board its flagship, Ambience, for the first time in 2022 followed by the addition of Ambition to the fleet in 2023. Its purpose is to offer the ‘warmest welcome at sea’, inspiring and delighting every guest to enjoy an authentic experience effortlessly and sustainably.
Headquartered in Purfleet, Essex, Ambassador sails for the British market from various ports around the UK, with its homeport located at the London Cruise Terminal in Tilbury, just 19 miles from the newly-named Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Catering primarily to the over-50s while offering a selection of multi-generational sailings for all the family to enjoy together, the affordable quality, no-fly cruise line offers exceptional service, outstanding cuisine and amazing entertainment as standard, alongside a host of breathtaking destinations; all for the best value.
Pictured (l-r): Vince Mulholland (Essex Senior team), Ronnie Jackson (Essex Ability team), Jamal Richards (Men’s First Team), Gordon Nardini (Ambassador Cruise Line Chief Marketing Officer), Dan Feist (Essex Cricket CEO), Christian Verhounig (Ambassador Cruise Line CEO), Andy Tennant (Essex Women Team Director), Kate Coppack (Essex Women team), Chris Silverwood (Essex Director of Cricket).
Dan Feist, Chief Executive Officer, Essex Cricket, said: “The announcement of the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground is hugely exciting, especially in the 100th year of cricket at the venue.
“Alongside being the sole home for Essex Men, the first year of the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground will also be a groundbreaking for the first year of our professional Essex Women’s team.
“We are very grateful to Ambassador for their ongoing support, and we look forward to working even more closely with them while our historic home ground proudly bears their name.”
Gordon Nardini, Chief Marketing Officer, Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “As a relatively new cruise company, we believe in meaningful, proactive and long-term relationships with our partners, and this is nowhere more apparent than our community work with Essex Cricket.
“Since we embarked on this great adventure together, our relationship has blossomed, growing from simply being the Club’s Official Cruise Line Partner to becoming principal shirt sponsor for Essex’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign and sponsoring the Men’s, Women’s and Ability team’s one day kit, which comes in our brand colour of purple!
“The partnership offers Ambassador the perfect platform to showcase our brand to the club’s significant fan base, and I am incredibly proud that, from this season, all Essex’s home games will be staged at the newly-named Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
“This is a natural evolution for us as we look forward to continuing to collaborate closely with the Club on their inspiring work, schemes and support of the local community of Essex and East London, which is also home to our head office, many of our staff and homeport to our flagship Ambience in Tilbury.”
To mark the announcement, Ambassador is launching a competition for nine lucky Essex fans to win a pair of hospitality tickets to the opening County Championship game against Surrey at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground on Friday 04 April.
The lucky winners will be treated to some of the best seats in the house, dining, afternoon tea and drinks for themselves and a guest. The competition will launch next week and will be announced via Essex Cricket’s social channels.
