Glamorgan stadium renamed Sophia Gardens Cardiff

SSE said it had been a 'tough decision' not to renew sponsorship

SSE has ended its 10-year sponsorship deal with Glamorgan Cricket, BBC Wales can reveal.

The club's Sophia Gardens ground was renamed the Swalec Stadium back in 2008 as part of a £1.5m sponsorship deal.

The ground will instead be called Sophia Gardens Cardiff until another sponsor can be found.

Chief executive Hugh Morris said the county was "actively searching" for a new principal venue partner from 2020.

Mr Morris added: "Our partnership with SSE has come to an end but I would like to thank them for being part of the Glamorgan family for the last 10 years and for helping to grow the game of cricket in Wales.

"We will instead use a name which connects Glamorgan back to its past and location within the beautiful Sophia Gardens grounds."

Last month the England and Wales Cricket Board commissioned a review into £2.5m compensation it paid the club not to apply to host Test matches between 2020 and 2024.

The club will instead host five T20 internationals and three one-day matches during the same period.

Glamorgan has already received £1.5m and said it has been able to reduce its debt.

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Glamorgan Cricket's partnership with energy company Swalec - later to become SSE - was unveiled in 2008 following the multi-million pound redevelopment of the club's stadium.

Glamorgan said they were fielding interest in sponsorship from 2020 from 'several' interested parties

The following year the club announced its first Test match in the Ashes series between England and Australia watched by millions of television viewers around the world.

The Ashes returned to Cardiff in 2015.

Next year England will play one 2019 World Cup match against Bangladesh in Cardiff.

It is one of four games in Wales for next year's tournament with Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka all playing twice.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the capital will be the base for one of the eight teams in a new Twenty20 competition.

Glamorgan will also stage eight days of limited-overs international cricket between 2020 and 2024.

SSE's head of sponsorship Colin Banks said it had been a "tough decision" but having reviewed its long-term sponsorship strategy, the end of the contract "was a natural time for our partnership with Glamorgan to draw to a close".

Mr Morris added: "We are already fielding interest from several parties and are excited about the opportunity to partner with an organisation that shares our values and ambitions as a club."

The stadium is now undergoing rebranding and Mr Morris said the renaming strengthened the county's connection with the capital city, as well Cardiff Council, which had been "an incredible support to the club over the years."

Sport finance expert Dr Rob Wilson from Sheffield Hallam University said the club was pretty stable and any new sponsor could work from a blank canvas - and he would expect to see a deal worth between £2m and £2.5m in future.

"Glamorgan are one of very few profitable first-class cricket counties, so in many ways leaving this sponsorship gives them a chance to look for new sponsors that might be higher value - and they have the financial footing to do that," he said.