In addition, KFC will be an associate sponsor for the international and franchise T20 competitions for the next three years.
The three-match KFC T20 International Series against New Zealand will be played at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Friday, 21 December; at Buffalo Park on Sunday, 23 December; and at Axxess St. George’s on Wednesday, 26 December. The first two matches will be day/night contests while the Port Elizabeth match will be a day-time contest.
The two-match KFC T20 International Series against Pakistan will consist of a day/night match at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Friday, 1 March, and a day match at SuperSport Park on Sunday, 3 March.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome KFC to our family of international sponsors of the Proteas,” commented CSA Acting CEO Jacques Faul.
“They have already been part of our sponsorship family for the past three years with the outstanding work they have done at grassroots level with the KFC Mini-Cricket Programme.
“I can’t think of a better way to encourage our youth of today to become our stars of tomorrow than to have them interacting with our senior professional players and particularly with the Proteas. KFC will be enabling children with the opportunity to do so through the various programmes they will be rolling out as part of this sponsorship.
“This is a real commitment to South African cricket at all levels, from a junior level right up to a top level of excellence and will play a major role in maintaining the Proteas as a dominating force in world cricket.
“We are only just over a year away from the next edition of the ICC World Twenty20 and KFC’s involvement in this format will go a long way to see that the Proteas are properly prepared to make a meaningful challenge for this important event.”
David Timm Chief Marketing Officer, KFC South Africa commented: “KFC, through the Mini-Cricket programme, promotes an active and balanced lifestyle amongst young boys and girls. Over 100 000 children partake in the programme across South Africa annually. With KFC now sponsoring cricket at the highest level we hope to make the experience even more meaningful to the cricketers of the future.”
“We believe that exposure to top-class cricket will motivate more kids to get involved in the Mini-Cricket programme. KFC will give kids the opportunity to be part of the T20 game through player escorts, ball boys as well as being part of the coin toss at all international and domestic games.
Since September, KFC has been searching for KFC Mini-Cricket kid ambassadors and we now have the opportunity for these kids to interact with their Protea heroes. KFC will enhance the experience for kids in the stadia by providing KFC Action Zones at all international and domestic T20 games this summer where kids can have fun testing their skills while watching the games.