Full-service marketing agency Purpose Media has been commissioned to create the new website for Middlesex Cricket, as part of the historic club’s digital transformation programme.

The East Midlands-based creative firm has been tasked with creating a more modern online platform which will allow the forward-thinking club to communicate with a wider audience, attract fans for the future, increase engagement and offer more revenue-generating opportunities.

Home of cricket

Founded in 1864, Middlesex Cricket is one of the most successful and well-respected first-class counties in the English domestic game. The club has played at the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord’s, since 1877 and has a proud history of developing many of the game’s greatest known cricketers, including Denis Compton, Mike Gatting, John Emburey and Andrew Strauss.

Purpose Media won the brief to develop its new website on the back of the success of its recent work with other sports clubs, including Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Derby County Football Club.

The firm is a long-standing supporter of both clubs and last year, delivered Derby County’s new online platform, after the club became one of the first to opt out of the new EFL Digital deal, which meant its previous website was delivered centrally by the English Football League.

Working in conjunction with the club and its supporters, Purpose Media created a new market-leading online platform that redefined sports websites by placing fans at its very core, while generating significant new commercial opportunities for the club.

The new site offers greater scope to deliver more engaging content, including news, features, interviews, videos and live streaming of games, as well as online ticketing and merchandise stores. Since launch, online engagement with the club has increased by almost 400%.

Purpose Media will use the same bespoke framework that it developed for the Rams to build the new Middlesex website.

The agency is also in talks with several other EFL teams, county cricket clubs and organisations from other sports, including rugby league. Away from sport, the firm lists national business support organisation the British Chambers of Commerce and global manufacturers Pattonair and True Refrigeration among its clients.

Purpose Media MD Matt Wheatcroft said: “We’re delighted to be working with Middlesex Cricket and to add the iconic club to our growing portfolio of professional sports clients.

“Delivering digital transformation for sports clubs is fast becoming a niche area for us. Our work with Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the Rams has opened a lot of doors for us and we have used our understanding of and expertise in making it easier for fans to engage with their clubs, to develop the technology to make it simpler.

“Our bespoke platform enables clubs to deliver a more fluid, engaging and immersive online experience to their fans, while reaping the benefits of all the efficiencies and revenue-generating opportunities that this creates.”

Middlesex Cricket’s new website is currently in development and is set to launch later this year, in time for the 2018/19 county championship season.

Middlesex Cricket’s media and marketing manager, Steven Fletcher, said: “We are delighted to be working with Purpose Media on the development of our new website and have been hugely impressed with the work they’ve done with us already to this point.”

“When selecting the right agency to relaunch our web platform it was essential that we found the right partner, with not only experience in our field, but with a sound understanding of our requirements – in Purpose Media we’ve certainly found that.

“We’re looking forward to launching our new website in time for the start of the new domestic season in April and would like to thank the team at Purpose Media for their ongoing commitment to ensuring that we achieve this to the highest possible standard.”