Local ties strengthened as the University of Northampton partners with Northants Cricket

The partnership will see the University of Northampton’s staff and students working closely with Northants Cricket to enhance the community engagement programmes operated by Northants Cricket.

David Smith from Northants Cricket said: “This partnership will offer valuable volunteering, internship and project opportunities for students across a wide range of departments, the experience they will get while working with the club will enhance their career prospects once they graduate.

“We are particularly delighted with how the University of Northampton will be supporting and enhancing our community programmes to engage with, motivate and inspire young people across Northamptonshire. Everyone at the County Ground is very excited by this new partnership and we’re looking forward to working closely together over the coming year.”

The University of Northampton, which has nearly 15,000 students, has recently moved a step closer to developing a state-of–the-art, £330 million campus within the town’s Enterprise Zone, having been granted outline planning permission in December 2013.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton, Nick Petford, said: “The University of Northampton prides itself on working in partnership with local and national organisations to provide opportunities for our students to enhance their employability skills. This partnership with Northants Cricket will further develop our ability to offer our students unique opportunities for local work placements, volunteering opportunities and internships, not only in the field of sports management, but with the other areas involved in running a successful cricket club. This partnership will also enable us to work closer, through Northants Cricket’s community programmes, with the community of Northamptonshire.”

Haviour Chen, President of the University of Northampton Students’ Union said: “Everyone at the University of Northampton Students’ Union is very excited by this new partnership with Northants Cricket and we’re looking forward to seeing this relationship develop.”

“The University of Northampton Sports Partnerships offer a fantastic opportunity to our students to not only develop the skills they learn in lectures through internships and volunteering opportunities, but to support and involve themselves with our local community.”

The University of Northampton’s logo will be displayed on the Steelbacks playing shirts on the collar and sleeve, as well as around the ground during the upcoming season.