Kick It Out, Guinness 0.0 and Greene King team up to make every fan belong in football

• Partnership to pilot in 900 Greene King sport pubs across Britain

• Training provided for more than 16,000 Greene King team members

• Education and reporting tools for fans will help raise awareness

• Research shows eight in 10 people think pubs should be inclusive

Kick It Out and Guinness 0.0 are launching a groundbreaking partnership in their mission to make every fan feel they belong in football.

The collaboration between football’s leading anti-discrimination charity and the official non-alcoholic beer of the Premier League will launch a year-one pilot in Greene King’s 900 sport pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.

From March, 4,000 members of Greene King’s Pub Leadership team will receive training and education on inclusive practices and discriminatory behaviours linked to football, which will cascade to a further 12,000 team members. New tools and advice will also be available for customers to report discrimination when it happens.

Research commissioned^[1] by Kick It Out shows that eight in 10 people think pubs should strive to be inclusive, and that many people – especially women - feel less comfortable when football is being shown on TV.

The data also showed that one in five Britons has experienced discrimination or harassment in a pub, increasing to three in five among disabled people and the LGBTQ+ community. Ethnic minorities are more likely than other minorities to say they’ve experienced this behaviour on matchdays.

The ‘Never Settle Until Every Fan Belongs’ campaign launches at the Silver Cross pub in Whitehall on Tuesday 27^th January and is being backed by former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison and former Tottenham and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Chloe Morgan, ahead of a massive summer of international football in the United States, Canada and Mexico, where fans will gather in British pubs to watch England, Scotland and other teams play.

Data shows that 7.5m adults watched football in Britain’s pubs and bars over a six-month period in 2023^[2].

The pair will be joined on a special guest panel during the launch event by Robbie Lyle from Arsenal Fan TV, and other supporters. Premier League-winning captain and Kick It Out trustee Wes Morgan is also a special guest for the evening. 

In year one of the three-year deal between Kick It Out and Guinness 0.0, Greene King sport pubs will feature Kick It Out’s distinctive branding and signposts to where discrimination can be reported.

Training to over 16,000 members of Greene King pubs will include education on discriminatory language, chants and behaviours, so that appropriate action can be taken on match-days and football fans can have a more inclusive experience in the pub.

Kick It Out Chief Executive Samuel Okafor said: “With abuse in football still common in stadiums and rising online, this bold partnership between Kick It Out, Guinness 0.0 and Greene King is a commitment to unite football and provide a sense of belonging for fans, whoever they are, and no matter which team they support. We recognise that there are huge audiences that watch the game in pubs each year, and we hope our leading education and reporting services can make it a more welcoming experience in such a big year for football.”

Guinness Marketing Director Deb Caldow said: "Football has always been about bringing people together, a value that's been at the heart of Guinness culture for generations.  The beautiful game is nothing without fans, and will continue to thrive when fans feel at home. We hope this partnership between Kick It Out, Greene King and Guinness 0.0 helps ensure everyone feels they belong, in every pub, on every matchday, at every game."

Zoe Bowley, Managing Director of Greene King pubs, said: “Pubs are places for people to come together and feel they belong, no matter the occasion. We’re proud to be part of this groundbreaking partnership with Kick It Out and Guinness 0.0 to build on our Customer Promise and ensure that Greene King sport pubs are the most welcoming places to watch football on any matchday.”

ENDS 

Notes for Editors:

About Kick It Out

Kick It Out is football’s leading anti-discrimination charity, established in 1993 to fight racism and then expanded into tackling all forms of discrimination in 1997. Our mission is to unite football to make it more welcoming for everyone, to ensure that everyone is represented on the pitch and or in leadership roles, and that everyone stands up to discrimination when they see it or hear it.

Kick It Out campaigns to influence football and government policy, we run education programmes for fans, academy players, parents and match officials, we help underrepresented communities thrive in the industry and we run football’s most transparent reporting service to challenge discrimination in professional football, grassroots football and online.

About Guinness

The GUINNESS Company was established in 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin. Brewed using four natural ingredients, water, barley (malted & roasted), hops and yeast, Guinness is the world’s most popular stout. The iconic beer is brewed in 49 countries worldwide and sold in over 120. The most Guinness is sold in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Nigeria and Cameroon. All Guinness consumed in Ireland and Great Britain is brewed at St. James’s Gate Brewery. More information can be found at  www.guinness.com/en-gb.Enjoy Guinness Sensibly.  

Visit www.drinkaware.co.uk  

About Greene King

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 40,000 people across the group with three divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands & Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.

• Greene King pubs: Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”. Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive and Nest franchise pubs.

• Destination Brands & Ventures: Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions. Venture includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels which operate autonomously of Greene King’s managed pub brands.

• Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides 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.

[1] Research commissioned by Kick It Out was carried out by More in Common in 2025 and sampled 2,000 Britons

[2] Data drawn from report by CGA by NIQ and Sky Business into the value of live sport in Britain’s pubs and bars CGA_0408 Sky Report (High).pdf

For further details, photography from the event or interview requests please contact: Kick It Out Head of Communications, Alistair Magowan 07443 176906

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