Emirates Old Trafford holds launch event to inaugurate new Consulate in Manchester
Emirates Old Trafford, the home of Lancashire Cricket, was delighted to host a special launch event on Saturday (8 March) to officially inaugurate the new Consulate in Manchester and welcome Vishakha Yaduvanshi as the new Consul General.
The event, which took place in the Members’ Lounge at Emirates Old Trafford, marked a major milestone for the Indian diaspora and saw a number of dignitaries attend including, India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. Catherine West MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Paul Dennett, amongst many others, also attended.
Dr. Jaishankar’s address highlighted the strengthening India - UK partnership, with a keen focus on trade, investment, and diaspora engagement. His remarks on accelerating the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and the potential for direct flights between Manchester and India, making it the first airport in the north to have a direct connection with the country. Establishing direct connectivity between Manchester and India has been the top priority for the Manchester India Partnership (MIP). Jaishankar also noted that India’s trade with the Manchester region is currently worth £700 million and more than 300 Indian firms have a presence in the area.
Following a recent visit which included Bengaluru, the UK Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson announced over £100million worth of Indian investments into the UK. The investments strengthened UK - India economic linkages and showcased exciting opportunities for Indian companies looking to grow in the UK.
Lancashire Cricket is playing its role in supporting bilateral trade talks between the UK and Indian Governments. The event follows last month’s announcement that the Club has entered into exclusivity talks with RPSG Group, the owners of Lucknow Super Giants, to acquire a stake in Manchester Originals, The Hundred franchise team which is based at Emirates Old Trafford, with the transaction set to represent a deal of over £100million in value on its own, directly into Manchester.
Fittingly with the event taking place on International Women’s Day, Fi Morris and Olivia Bell joined the event from Lancashire Women’s professional squad. Both players will be travelling on Lancashire’s pre-season tour to Bengaluru later this month, as the squad continues its preparations for the start of the season next month.
India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said in a post on X: “We are very pleased to inaugurate our Fourth Consulate in the UK, in Manchester. Thanks to Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, Foreign Office Minister Catherine West, and Mr. Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India into the UK and Deputy Mayor Paul Dennett.
“This step delivers on the longstanding desire of our community and friends of India in Manchester. We are confident that this latest addition to our presence in the UK will strengthen people to people, cultural, trade and, of course, cricket ties.”
Lancashire Cricket has shared a long-held connection with India stretching back more than 50 years when Indian International wicketkeeper batter Farokh Engineer joined the County in 1968. He would go on to become a true Lancashire legend and now serves as a Vice-President of the Club. Since Farokh retired, six further Indian Internationals – Murali Kartik, Dinesh Mongia, V.V.S. Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Washington Sundar and most recently IPL winning all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer have represented the Red Rose. Emirates Old Trafford also witnessed the great Sachin Tendulkar’s maiden Test Century against England in August 1990.
Lancashire Chief Executive, Daniel Gidney, added: “We were honoured and proud to welcome Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and distinguished guests - to a sun-soaked Emirates Old Trafford at the weekend for an historic visit.
“The Consulate launch marks a significant step in relations between Greater Manchester and India and will strengthen bilateral trade, business relations and better serve the large Indian community in the North West.
“Particularly since 2019, when Emirates Old Trafford hosted three India matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup, including against Pakistan, Lancashire Cricket has worked closely with MIP and Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency (MIDAS), who are responsible for securing significant levels of new investment and employment for the City region, on joining numerous visits to India – one which included Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester - and developing key relationships in the area.
“We’re currently collaborating with both organisations as we fly to Bengaluru shortly for the Club’s pre-season tour, which includes a Trade Event, that will focus on showcasing Manchester as a tourist destination, and a dynamic investment landscape.
“It was great to welcome Fi Morris and Olivia Bell from our women’s team to the event – fittingly on International Women’s Day. As I said in my speech, we hope there is no need for these kinds of days in the future – everyday at Lancashire Cricket is Internationals Women’s Day. We are an equitable organisation and we a proud to be a leader in the growth and development of the women’s game – both on and off the field.
“We are currently finalising a deal with Kolkata-based RPSG Group after they were successful in the recent auction for the Emirates Old Trafford-based Manchester Originals franchise in The Hundred. We believe that Greater Manchester is the jewel in the UK’s inward investment crown, leading on sport, culture and technology. This is a significant investment from an Indian organisation into a leading Manchester-based sports team, and one which we – alongside the RPSG Group – want to grow to challenge Manchester United and Manchester City.
“This summer, we are looking forward to hosting two international fixtures between England and India, including a women’s IT20 on Wednesday 9 July before a men’s Test Match starting on 23 July. We are excited to welcome many thousands of Indian supporters to Emirates Old Trafford.”