Commonwealth Games seeks sponsors to stop “crazy” funding

Commonwealth Games England (CGE), the organisation responsible for selecting and organising England’s team at the Games, is seeking to attract more sponsors in a bid to become less dependent on Government and National Lottery funding.

CGE wants to attract more of its funding for future Games from brands in order to achieve “financial independence”, according to the organisation’s marketing director Duncan Lewis.

Sport England channels the funding to CGE and is the Government agency tasked with achieving English sporting success. CGE has traditionally sought only additional funds from sponsors.

However, the CGE was funded completely by the agency at the last Games in Melbourne, “a crazy situation,” says Lewis.

A spokesman for Sport England says the shift was prompted by CGE, which wants to attract sponsorship in order to “revive” the “Team England” brand and achieve their mutual aim of English sporting success at the next Games in Delhi in 2010.

CGE has now launched a search for sponsors and has appointed Corporate Edge to develop the team’s identity.

The brand, design and communication consultancy will work on developing brand values and a logo for the team of English sportsmen and women who will compete at future Games, as well as a logo that Lewis says will “reflect the diversity” of the team.

Corporate Edge will also create a recognisable brand in the mould of “Team GB”, which represents Great Britain at the Olympic Games in a bid to attract sponsors.

Lewis, a former group marketing director at Land Securities, joined CGE in July. He recently worked on secondment at the British Olympic Association and has previously held senior marketing roles with Barclays and the Carlson Leisure group.