Unibet Donates Shirt Sponsorship
Author:
Megan Butler
Kindred Group has donated its Middlesbrough FC front of shirt sponsorship spot to the MFC Foundation. Saturday’s match saw the EFL Championship side face off against Millwall in shirts highlighting the club’s charity. The move came as part of the operator’s new model of sponsorship.
The MFC Foundation works to support its local community by providing projects that benefit physical and mental health. ?Hanna Auramenka/Pexels
Supporting the Community
Middlesbrough FC’s principal club sponsor has donated its front of shirt logo spot to the MFC Foundation, as part of the EFL’s Week of Action. Kindred Group is responsible for eleven of the most popular online gambling brands in Europe, including 32Red and Unibet.
Kindred has been responsible for the Championship club’s shirt sponsorship since 2018. Initially it was 32Red’s logo that was emblazoned on the Boro’s jerseys. However, with the return of Errea as Technical Kit Partner for the 2022/23 season, Unibet was chosen to feature front and center on the club’s shirts.
Last Saturday’s home match saw Kindred Group and Middlesbrough FC decide to switch things up for a good cause. The leading betting and gaming operator donated its exclusive sponsorship spot to the MFC Foundation, the club’s charitable arm, for one game. As Middlesbrough faced off against Millwall, players wore shirts printed with the foundation’s logo.
The MFC Foundation works hard to raise aspirations and support the lives of young people and adults across Teesside. Its work is both supported and funded by the club’s commercial partners, including Kindred Group. Neil Banbury, Managing Director of Kindred Group was pleased to be able to promote the good work that the foundation does. Banbury said:
“At Kindred, we’re determined to implement a new kind of sponsorship model. We are in a position to positively influence clubs and communities and take that responsibility seriously. That’s why it’s great to be able to highlight MFC Foundation – and its range of work across the region – in this weekend’s game.”
As part of its ongoing partnership with Middlesbrough FC, Kindred also supports the MFC Foundation’s ‘Think With Your Feet’ campaign. The program provides local men with the opportunity to meet up, play football and discuss their mental health issues.
Charity Auction
The match took place on January 14th, and saw Middlesbrough beat Millwall 1-0 at its home ground, Riverside Stadium. Marcus Forss clinched the win in the second half, beating their rivals for the fourth Championship win in a row. Millwall’s loss saw the end of the side’s four-game unbeaten league run, falling out of the play-off places.
Speaking to BBC Radio Tees after the match, Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was positive about how the game went. He explained that despite significant possession during the first half, Millwall later put his team on the defense. He praised his players for earning their win and picking the right moment to secure the winning goal.
Following the match, the Boro shirts were put up for auction to raise money for the MFC Foundation. The jerseys of Finnish scorer Marcus Forss and his teammates are now part of an online sale that will close on Saturday 28th of January. At the time of writing, ￡4,325 has been raised for the club’s charity.
During the fixture, Kindred also donated its hospitality access to participants of the Foundation’s Walking Football and East Cleveland fitness sessions. As well as playing in shirts showcasing the MFC Foundation, the team warmed up in gear emblazoned with the charity’s branding.
Lynsey Edwards, Head of the MFC Foundation was happy with Kindred’s decision to donate its shirt sponsorship to the charity. Speaking on the foundation’s behalf ahead of the game, Edwards took the opportunity to thank the club’s principal partner for its generosity. Edwards stated:
“We’re delighted to have this opportunity to reinforce to the wider footballing community the importance of MFC Foundation. We’re grateful to the support from our partners that supports the varied work we do across the region, and we look forward to building on that in the months ahead.”
Award Nomination
This is not the first time that Kindred has donated its shirt sponsorship for a good cause. Last October, the Unibet logo was replaced with ‘Zero % Mission’ branding for games against Wigan Athletic and Huddersfield Town during Safer Gambling Week. The annual initiative aims to raise awareness of gambling safeguards and best practices.
Kindred’s ‘Journey to Zero’ strategy is part of the operator’s ambition to combat problem gambling. By 2023, it’s hope is that none of its revenue will be generated by harmful gambling. According to the latest data, around 3% of its revenue is derived from high-risk players, although that figure is on a downward trend.
2023 has certainly kicked off to a good start for the MFC Foundation. It has been shortlisted as finalist at the Community Sport and Recreation Awards 2023, to be held at Twickenham Stadium. The nationally recognized awards program is organized by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
The MFC Foundation is pleased to announce that it is one of three organizations that have made the shortlist for the Youth Development Award for work on Premier League programs Kicks, Primary Stars, Inspires and Targeted during the last year.
The winner is to be announced at an awards ceremony on March 17th, at the home of English rugby Twickenham Stadium. HRH The Earl of Wessex, who is the President of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, will be on hand to present the awards. The winners will each receive prize money of ￡1,000.
Speaking for the MFC Foundation, Lynsey Edwards described the nomination as a ‘great honor’. She added that the enthusiastic and inspirational staff who work so hard to deliver its programs are all thrilled at the news. The Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Community Sport and Recreation Awards have been going for more than 25 years, celebrating the achievements of grassroots clubs, organizations and individuals.
Previous winners of the Community Sport and Recreation Awards include Panathlon Challenge, Brighton Table Tennis Club, Nottingham Croquet Club, Newcastle United Foundation, and Billingham Boxing Academy.
