8 Oct 2021
Northern Districts Make Brave Change, One Brand for their T20 Teams
The combined branding of Northern District’s T20 teams comes into effect immediately, with Northern Brave players and staff swapping their old kit for the new, this Saturday 9 October.
For the past two decades the Northern Knights represented the men, the Northern Spirit the women. Now, these two teams will be connected and united as the Northern Brave.
The Northern Brave new playing strip, due to be unveiled when the Dream11 Super Smash commences in November, will be the same across both male and female teams, representing One Club, Two Teams.
This change will see both male and female teams playing under the same brand, and Northern District’s will be the only Major Association to take this historical step for the 2021/22 season.
Northern Districts first embarked on this transformational journey with New Zealand Cricket in 2017, discussing the One Club, Two Teams concept initially with all six Major Associations.
After the project working group had completed many stakeholder interviews and pressure tests throughout the region, New Zealand Cricket unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to put the project on hold due to challenges presented by Covid-19.
However, Northern Districts’ CEO Ben MacCormack and the Northern Districts Board agreed to continue to push on with the project, with the key objective to establish a compelling, unified identity that can inspire the next generation and grow the game.
“We identified the importance of creating a united brand, gender neutral in nature and inspiring in name. We want to be the club that pushes the boundaries and keeps evolving to ensure we are relevant for tomorrow’s society.” MacCormack said.
“T20 is undoubtably our consumer format in domestic cricket and we are excited to see how people all across our region, the country and the world connect with our new brand. Let’s be BRAVE”. MacCormack continued.
So, this summer, when Northern District’s cricket delivery staff go into schools and provide thousands of kids a cricket experience, there will no longer be confusion over which team to follow.
“Our purpose is to “Connect People, Create Memories” and we see this brand as an amazing opportunity to stand in front of boys and girls all across our region and let them dream of representing the Northern Brave. We also want embankments full of existing and new fans at our superb venues this summer.” MacCormack concluded.
For the traditional formats of the game (Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy, Hallyburton Johnstone Shield), the Northern Districts Cricket crest will still be worn with pride. But a new, exciting, and history defining T20 team has been introduced.
Your team, the Northern Brave.
The Dream11 Super Smash schedule for 2021/22 will be announced in the coming weeks. To keep up to date with matches, merchandise and memberships, head to the Northern Districts website. www.ndcricket.co.nz.
Don’t forget to stay tuned into our social channels @ndcricket (Instagram and Twitter), Northern Districts Cricket Association (Facebook) for the most recent announcements.
