The Hundred Dress Code Slips

No snack logos on children’s replica ‘Hundred’ jerseys.

Elizabeth Ammon.

The Times.

Thursday, 23 January 2020.

PTG 3005-14893.

UK sweets and treats manufacturer KP Snacks have agreed not to put their logos on children’s replica shirts for teams participating in the Hundred after coming under pressure for promoting fatty snacks while child obesity is on the rise.  The company is the main sponsor of the new 100-ball tournament, the aim of which is to attract families to cricket. The England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) has been criticised by National Health Service bosses for allowing the names of various crisps and snacks to be on the kits of the eight franchise sides (PTG 2915-14469, 9 October 2019).

The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) — a coalition of more than 40 organisations including the British Medical Association, the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK — said that removing the logos from replica shirts did not go far enough, given that the large crisp advertising would still be visible on the players’ shirts.

The five-week competition, which will begin in July, will be played between teams based in Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff and Southampton, as well as two in London. It will be screened live by Sky Sports and the BBC, and each of the eight teams has a different KP Snacks brand on their kit: Hula Hoops, Skips, McCoy’s, Butterkist, KP Nuts, popchips, Pom-Bear or Tyrrells.  Last October, when the Hundred was launched, the OHA said the sponsorship would create an “unhelpful association between healthy activity and unhealthy food”.

The EWCB was keen to have one overall sponsor for the tournament, a deal understood to be worth about £UK4 million ($A7.7m), and wanted to work with a brand that was appropriate for the ethos of the tournament rather than a bank, insurance company or alcohol brand.

However they have come under fire from several organisations that are trying to tackle child obesity. Past figures suggested that a third of children in the UK were overweight or obese at the start of secondary school; those figures estimated that by this year half of children would be overweight or obese. A recent study by Oxford University researchers showed that overweight children were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke in middle age even if they slimmed down in their 20s and 30s.

Caroline Cerny, the OHA’s alliance lead, said: “This inappropriate sponsorship undermines the EWCB’s aims of engaging children with sport and getting them more active. The latest move to remove branding from children’s replica shirts shows KP acknowledge how irresponsible it is to market their high fat and salt products to children. Yet, while the players are still walking adverts for junk food, these unhealthy snacks will remain centre stage in children’s minds, including their food choices”.

The EWCB has defended its decision to work with KP Snacks, saying it will use the partnership responsibly and will use the tournament to promote healthy living and an active lifestyle, and will be ensuring that there are healthy eating options available at all live matches.  Although KP have agreed not to have any snack branding on the front of replica shirts in all junior and children’s sizes, it has yet to be confirmed whether the logos will appear on adult-sized replica shirts.

Lord's to relax pavilion dress code, age restrictions, for The Hundred.

Sam Morshead.

The Cricketer Magazine.

Wednesday, 22 January 2020.

PTG 3005-14894.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) will relax the dress code in the Lord's pavilion for matches in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) new competition The Hundred, and there will be no minimum age for entry, moves that have been taken as part of efforts to introduce a wider audience to the sport.  The 'Home of Cricket' will host all of London Spirit's men's matches as well as the final in the new competition's inaugural season, and there will be no requirement for those watching on from the famous pavilion to wear a jacket and tie.

The dress code - "ties and tailored coats and acceptable trousers with appropriate shoes"for men and "dresses; or skirts or trousers worn with blouses, and appropriate shoes" for women - is usually strictly policed, with rare exceptions made only in extreme weather.  However, in a memo to members this week the club explained that the traditional expectations would not apply for The Hundred "in support of... the general tone of the competition”.  Furthermore, dress regulations for the members' friends enclosures have been eliminated entirely.  Typically, children under the age of 12 are not permitted inside the pavilion, but no such rule will be in place during The Hundred.

Lord's won praise for hosting 250 schoolchildren during the World Cup match between Bangladesh and Pakistan last summer, and MCC is throwing the pavilion doors open once again with a similar objective in mind.

The EWCB intends The Hundred to be more accessible to a greater number of young and ethnically diverse families during its first season.  It has invested heavily in its establishment and promotion, and has cut ticket prices to attract families.  Tickets range from £UK8-35 ($A15-67) for adults, with under 16s able to gain entry for £UK5 ($A10) or less at every venue in both the men's and women's tournaments.  Lord's is also making several of its stands alcohol-free for The Hundred matches, including the lower tier of the Tavern Stand, "to encourage first-time visitors”.