WARWICKSHIRE have announced a name change ahead of next year’s Vitality Blast competition.
The ‘Birmingham Bears’ or just ‘Bears’ will be no more.
Instead, the team will be called Warwickshire Bears.
The county says that, after more than a decade, the Vitality Blast team will once again carry the traditional Warwickshire name – with both the men’s and women’s teams under one identity.
Warwickshire officials say the move sees the Bears return to its heritage of encompassing the wider community and ‘reaffirming the strength of the Warwickshire identity’.
A statement from Warwickshire says: “This is more than just a name, it’s a homecoming.
“The Warwickshire Bears name represents generations of players, Members, supporters, and local pride that have shaped the club’s identity for over 140 years.
“By bringing the Warwickshire name back to the forefront, the Bears are honouring where they’ve come from while looking ahead to a bright future for cricket in the county.”
Stuart Cain, Chief Executive, added: “Warwickshire has and always will be at the heart of who we are. It’s our identity and has been for well over a century.
“Over a decade ago, the club decided to be bold with a city-based name for our T20 team, and it saw attendances grow to record levels and attract new fans to the Bears.
“But with our long-term future in mind, and following feedback from Members through the Members’ Committee, now is the right time for change.
“We represent the county, and that’s what returning to Warwickshire Bears is about.”
The Vitality Blast fixtures have been announced today (Tuesday), with the season getting underway on Friday, May 22, when both teams travel for their opening matches.
Warwickshire’s men are away to Gloucestershire in Bristol and the women go to Essex at Chelmsford, before the attention turns to ‘EdgBLASTon’ two days later for the first home match day of the campaign.
Bears will host a Blast Off double header as both the men’s and women’s Bears welcome Somerset, who won the men’s Vitality Blast this year.
The event marks the first of five home double-headers in the 2026 schedule and is expected to draw one of the biggest crowds of the summer as both teams launch their home seasons together.
The home campaign continues with a women’s fixture against The Blaze on Wednesday, May 27, before one of the headline away battles of the season takes place on Friday, May 29, as the men travel to New Road for the local derby of the season against Worcestershire Rapids.
‘EdgBLASTon’ will then host a string of hotly-anticipated match days through the height of the summer, including the eagerly awaited return leg of Bears v Pears on Friday, June 26, on a day which will include the women’s fixture against Surrey to create a second high-profile double header at home.
Further home fixtures include a double-header with the men against Sussex Sharks and women facing on Wednesday, July 1, and a packed day of action on Sunday July 5, when the men face Gloucestershire, and the women meet Yorkshire.
The final home double header arrives on Friday, July 10, with the men taking on Glamorgan under the lights while the women host Hampshire Hawks.
The schedule also features several joint away trips, including both squads travelling to Taunton to face Somerset on Sunday June 7, while other away journeys include men’s fixtures at Notts Outlaws (June 5), Glamorgan (July 3) and Northamptonshire Steelbacks (July 12) as the group stage comes to a close.
Bears Women will visit Durham (May 29), The Blaze at Trent Bridge (June 5), Lancashire Thunder in Blackpool (June 28) and Surrey at the Kia Oval (July 8).
