Community: Proud To Pitch In

Pitching in with every pint!

“WE ARE CONTINUING TO GAIN MOMENTUM AND HELPING MORE AND MORE GRASSROOTS SPORT CLUBS. MORE PUBS AND LICENSED VENUES ARE BEING ADDED DAILY, MEANING MORE PINTS OF GREENE KING IPA THAN EVER ARE NOW ADDING 10P A PINT TO THE FUND. IT’S A REALLY EXCITING TIME.”

KARL FOWLER, CUSTOMER MARKETING MANAGER, GREENE KING BREWING & BRANDS

Greene King IPA’s innovative Proud To Pitch In fundraising initiative has already helped 54 grassroots sports clubs so far and aims to hand out more than £1m in grants by the end of next year.

In villages, towns and cities around the country, grassroots sports teams and their facilities are the at heart of local communities – and Greene King has stepped in to support them with a continued funding initiative.

The Greene King IPA Proud to Pitch In scheme sees 10p from every pint of Greene King IPA sold* go into a central fund. Grassroots sporting organisations are then able to apply for grants of up to £3,000, an amount identifi ed as “game-changing” for many grassroots clubs. Larger funding may be given out to exceptional causes to help further promote the activity.

Greene King is funding the 10p so there is no impact on operators’ revenues and Proud To Pitch In also off ers another fantastic reason to stock the hugely popular Greene King IPA.

The scheme aims to help as many local teams as possible, from football, rugby and cricket to roller hockey or netball. So far, the initiative has given out 78 grants with a total value of £182,034, supporting 8,000 benefi ciaries to date and funding 54 grassroots projects.

Greene King aims to give away £1m to clubs before the end of 2023.

TRADE BENEFITS

With Greene King funding the project, it’s easy for operators to get involved. All they have to do is stock Greene King IPA in their venue and discuss signing up to support the Proud To Pitch In initiative with their Sales Development Manager.

Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In also off ers operators the opportunity to further enhance their engagement with the local community and potentially help grassroots sports clubs in their local area.

Simply by highlighting your participation

HOW DOES PROUD TO PITCH IN WORK?

Greene King donates 10p from every pint of Greene King IPA sold to the grassroots sports fund*.

Fully funded by Greene King – with no impact on operators’ revenues.

Grants of up to £3,000 are available through the scheme.

A goal to hand out over £1m by 2023.

Ambassadors for the programme include sports stars James Haskell and Robbie

Savage.

in the initiative in your venue and on your social media pages, you can help drive community engagement, secure positive PR and encourage increased footfall from customers keen to play their part by buying a pint or two of Greene King IPA.

Sharing the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In initiative will be critical to maximising the benefit to local clubs. A range of professional quality POS material has been produced to help you do this and is available by speaking to your Sales Development Manager.

MARKETING SUPPORT

The scheme is being heavily supported with a through-the-line national media campaign and has also been backed by official ambassadors including England rugby legend James Haskell and football star Robbie Savage. It’s also received support from former England Lioness star Rachel Yankey, who has been urging sports teams to apply for funding.

“Seeing the women bring football home this summer was nothing short of incredible,” she said. “This was a historic win that will inspire so many women right across the UK and that’s why it’s so important that we continue this momentum to ensure sport is accessible at grassroots level.

“Not having access to funds was a common theme for me when I started out, but Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In scheme really helps combat that. Whatever >>>

BROKEN SPOKE

“The support from Greene King has meant that we have been able to train up four women and LGBTQI+ identifying mechanics. Women and LGBTQIA+ folk are very under-represented in cycling and also in mechanics. The impact the financial support has had has been extremely positive for our club. As a non-profit club we have relied of goodwill and donations of equipment, but we would never have been able to level up our club with a new ring without the support of Greene King! Thank you all for your support!”

THE STORY SO FAR:

Launched in 2021.

Over £180,000 already handed out.

8,000 beneficiaries.

54 grassroots clubs supported.

Open to all sporting clubs with participants aged 18 and over.

sport you play, funding is available. Whetherit’s for new equipment, jerseys or to refurbish the club house – the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In grants can make a huge diff erence.

“Now is the time for real change, let’s ensure as a nation we can keep playing and enjoying sport in our communities.”

FUNDING ROUNDS

PENRITH PUMAS (WHEELCHAIR RUGBY)

The funding has enabled Penrith Pumas to be a part of the Summer Series. “It costs just over £600 to enter the league, then over £200 to hire a van for each weekend to take all the equipment down to Stoke Mandeville ensuring we have everything the team needs. We have also been able to purchase vital spares such as inner tubes, tyres and wheels! This might not be a cheap sport to play, but what price can you put on seeing each player grow in confi dence, increase their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing through friendships, and proving that the “IMPOSSIBLE” is “POSSIBLE” to all those who once thought playing a full contact sport wasn’t achievable!”

Greene King is currently in the process of selecting projects that will be awarded funding in Round 6, while also receiving nominations for Round 7. With the help of a supporting agency, Greene King is assessing all applications to draw up the list of successful clubs.

If you have a local sports club that you think could benefi t from a Proud To Pitch In grant, why not visit greeneking-pubs. co.uk/proud-to-pitch-in and nominate them now?

Will Hemmings, Marketing Director for Brewing & Brands at Greene King, concluded: “Sport is so important to our communities, and we’ve seen this summer just how much sport can deliver a real community spirit.

“We want to encourage teams all over the country to apply for Proud To Pitch In grants, so we can help support them with funds that allow them to continue the sports they love. We’re immensely proud of the scheme and it’s amazing to see the impact the grants have delivered to date. This isn’t a one-off campaign, it’s a continuous pledge from us at Greene King to ensure grassroots sports can fl ourish not just in local communities but right across the UK.”

HOW DO GRASSROOTS CLUBS APPLY?

Grants are awarded through an online application process.

Applications to the scheme can be made online by anyone, whether they are connected to the club or not.

Pub staff can apply on behalf of local grassroots sports clubs.

KNOW A LOCAL SPORTS CLUB THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM A PROUD TO PITCH IN GRANT? NOMINATE THEM HERE: GREENEKING-PUBS.CO.UK/PROUD-TO-PITCH-IN

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