- Greene King raised £1 million for its Proud To Pitch In programme, reaching the goal at the end of Euros 2024.
- Beer lovers raised over £200,000 during the tournament, including £25,000 during the England vs Spain final.
- Funds raised in the tournament will be able to support over 50 grassroots sports organisations, joining 250 clubs already helped by Greene King’s programme.
25 July 2024 – Today, Greene King has announced that it has raised £1 million for its Proud To Pitch In programme, with the goal being hit as the final whistle blew on the Euros 2024 last week.
Over the last two years, Greene King has donated 10p from pints, and 50p from selected can packs, of Greene King IPA to the scheme aimed at supporting grass roots sports. Throughout the Euros, the pub retailer and brewer, increased its offer to cover all Greene King beers.
Over the four weeks of the tournament, football fans helped to raise £200,000 alone, with £25,000 raised during the weekend of the England vs Spain final, taking Greene King over the £1 million mark.
The funds raised through the tournament will be used to help over 50 grassroots sports organisations across the country, supplying them with everything from rugby balls to rowing oars. These organisations will join the 250 clubs across the UK that Greene King has already supported through the programme.
One South London-based women’s football team, Lush Lyfe FC, received £4,000 from the programme to fund pitch hire and essential equipment, allowing them to extend their training sessions and expand their team.
Similarly, West Midlands football club, Boldmere St. Michaels FC, received £1,000 to enhance their women’s walking football team, the ‘Walking Mikes Women’. The funds were in part used to offer free taster sessions to local women in the community, many of whom have never played football before.
Heidi Boswell, Women’s Walking Football Lead, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Greene King IPA for the support. The grant has helped so many women discover a love of football, become physically active and improve their mental health and wellbeing”.
Emma Hibbert, Head of Marketing for Greene King IPA said: “Over recent years, Greene King’s Proud To Pitch In funding has supported some incredible clubs and been able to increase grassroots participation for people all over the country from football, rugby and cricket to roller hockey, bowls and wheelchair sports.
“These clubs, like pubs, are at the heart of local communities everywhere, so we are delighted to hit our goal of raising £1 million to be able to fund projects with grassroot sports clubs across the UK. We hope that this summer of sport will encourage more people to join a local group in whatever sport they love and enjoy the benefits that this can bring mentally, socially and physically.”
For more information visit the Proud to Pitch In website here: www.ProudToPitchIn.co.uk.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a portfolio of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Wacky Warehouse
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing side of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Media Contact: George Sanderson gsanderson@headlandconsultancy.com
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