• One of the world’s most famous and successful cricket clubs, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC), explores investment options in MENA
  • Grant Thornton UAE is supporting YCCC in identifying the right investors who share the club’s growth vision and values
  • Investments in the sports sector seen both as economic diversification option as well as positive impact on communities

Dubai, United Arab Emirates:–Yorkshire County Cricket Club (“YCCC” and “Club”) is working with Grant Thornton UAE (“Grant Thornton”) to assist it with its active discussions with strategic investors in the MENA region. This effort is part of the Club's efforts to secure suitable funding as part of a wider refinancing exercise.

The MENA region is home to many expatriate cricket enthusiasts whose collective passion for the game runs deep. YCCC believes that this passion, combined with the growth of the sport in the region, presents a great opportunity for a strategic investor that shares its vision and values.

Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said: “We are delighted to be working with Grant Thornton UAE (“Grant Thornton”) to assist with active discussions with strategic investors in the MENA region.

“We see cricket as a powerful force for good in the MENA region. It brings people together, promotes healthy competition, and instils values of teamwork, respect and sportsmanship.

“We believe that by investing in Yorkshire County Cricket Club, a strategic investor will not  only make a significant impact on the club, but also contribute to the growth and development of the sport both in the UK and across the MENA region.”

Mr Vaughan added: “The Board and its professional advisers are considering financing options from a number of current potential sources.

“We look forward to continuing our discussions with potential investors who share the Club’s passion and vision and we welcome parties interested in submitting an expression of interest.”

Haroon Ahmed, Partner at Grant Thornton – UAE, said: "We are excited to be working with one of the most historic and iconic cricket clubs in the world. The Club has such a long history of success in the UK game, and we are assisting them in actively exploring strategic investment options in the MENA region.

"Cricket is a growing sport in the region, and we believe that Yorkshire County Cricket Club is uniquely well-positioned to capitalize on this opportunity. We look forward to continuing our discussions with potential investors who share the Club’s passion and vision for the sport."

As part of the engagement, Grant Thornton’s team, led by Salmaan Khawaja and Haroon Ahmed, are leveraging their extensive network and expertise to have discussions with potential investors who share the Club’s passion for the game and commitment to making a positive impact in the community. The goal is to secure a strategic investor who can provide the necessary financial support and expertise to help the Club achieve its long-term goals.

“The sports economy is playing an important diversification role in the MENA region which is why we have continued to see investments being made in the sector at a global level,” said Salmaan Khawaja, Partner at Grant Thornton – UAE.  

“The opportunity to be part of the heritage and continued development of a cricket club like YCCC is certainly an attractive proposition, given the huge audiences that the sport attracts worldwide.”

-Ends-

Parties interested in submitting an expression of interest should contact Grant Thornton through the contact details given below. Any party interested in submitting any form of proposal will, at the appropriate time, enter into a non-disclosure agreement with the Club on terms satisfactory to it. The Club then intends to provide such interested parties with certain information on its business, as it has been providing to other interested parties who have expressed interest, following which the relevant parties shall be invited to submit their proposals to Grant Thornton. 

About Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton UAE was founded in 1966 and is one of UAE's leading assurance, advisory and tax firms dedicated to serving the needs of privately-held organizations such as family-owned businesses as well as public interest entities.

With offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, over 450 employees and considerable experience across many fields, Grant Thornton develops tailored solutions for clients in financial services, public sector, hospitality, leisure, real estate, construction, retail, transportation, logistics, defence, manufacturing, telecommunications, media and many other sectors.

As part of the global Grant Thornton network which counts over 62,000 professionals in member firms in over 140 countries, we combine strong local presence and global scale. Our goal is to help organizations achieve sustainable growth and succeed in a fast-changing business landscape.

For more information please visit www.grantthornton.ae

Media Contact:
Edelman Smithfield
Simon Hailes | Dhanya Issac       
simon.hailes@edelmansmithfield.com | dhanya.issac@edelmansmithfield.com

About Yorkshire County Cricket Club

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of the world's most famous cricket clubs. Founded in 1863, Yorkshire is England's most successful club, winning a record 33 County Championships, joint Champions twice and five One-Day cricket crowns. The Club can also lay to claim producing more England players in history than any other County, and no fewer than five players – Geoffrey Boycott, Len Hutton, Wilfred Rhodes, Fred Trueman and Herbert Sutcliffe – have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. There is no other English county that can boast five members in the Hall of Fame.

Away from the professional arena, Yorkshire is the hotbed of cricket in the country with in excess of 850 grassroots clubs and schools playing the game every week in the summer equating to over 125,000 recreational players.

Its outstanding work in the local community, via the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, is regarded as one of the region’s best organised sporting foundations with over 20,000 schoolchildren visiting the Club’s home Headingley Cricket Ground across the year.

Read the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation Annual Report 2022 here: https://indd.adobe.com/view/fd3e76c6-a5da-474b-b5ab-a6f18cea2951

Headingley is also one of the world’s renowned international venues and is guaranteed the staging of international cricket every year until at least 2019. The ground opened in 1890 and will celebrate 125 years of sporting heritage in 2015.

The Club play their matches at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds and also play home games at North Marine Road, Scarborough – the home of the world famous Scarborough Cricket Festival.

Media contact
Ruth Turner, Head of Communications, Media and PR
Email: ruth.turner@yorkshireccc.com
For more information please visit https://yorkshireccc.com/