Introducing Gen Z to county cricket

County cricket is facing a fight to increase its profile in a changing media landscape, and Sussex County Cricket Club wants to put itself in front of audiences outside of cricket’s usual narrow media channels. The club tasked Press Box PR with using the pre-season media day to boost its profile across different demographics.

PBPR wanted to dig deeper into the usual pre-season cricket talk to find angles the club was not currently using to attract wider media attention. The team’s knowledge of trending sports stories identified a new up-and-coming talent who could be the answer to England’s prayers.

PBPR selected key members of the squad, including a player with a strong following on Only Fans, which was of interest to new media targets. Press Box PR worked in conjunction with the Sussex CCC media team to host and deliver the added value the club was looking for.

A live feature interview broadcast across the national talkSPORT radio station and YouTube channels placed James Coles in the heart of the national team debate, introducing him to non-cricket sports fans.

Rare county cricket coverage was secured on the Sports Mole platform, which is consumed by a younger demographic, something the club wanted to target. Plus the team secured exclusive content with new and popular podcasters and creators with a large Gen Z following, further cementing the club’s brand awareness with the target market.