The Vanarama National League has signed agreements with sports betting operators 32Red and Unibet, naming the Kindred Group brands its principal betting partners.
Under the terms of the two-year agreement covering the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, the companies will gain marketing and branding rights at National League stadiums and in matchday programmes, as well as across digital and social media channels.
The collaboration between the two betting operators and the top-tier of English non-league football builds on previous sponsorships with ‘community-first’ approaches.
32Red and Unibet had earlier partnered with Derby County FC , Preston North End FC and Middlesborough FC of the EFL Championship and Rangers FC of the Scottish Premiership.
“This is a hugely important day for everyone connected with the Kindred Group – we are excited and proud to be The National League’s official Betting Partner,” said Neil Banbury, UK General Manager at Kindred Group.
“The last year-and-a-half has shown us how vital they are to the clubs and to their communities. That is why we’ll be making sure that supporters see and feel a benefit from our sponsorship of their league.
“More broadly, Kindred remains committed to reinventing the sports sponsorship model – because we want a model that benefits the wider community.”
As a principal partner of the National League, Kindred will work to assist the division’s clubs and the communities associated with them with their financial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
An opening partnership activation will see Kindred conduct a ticket giveaway for National League fixtures on Saturday 4 September during the international fixtures weekend, followed up with fan competitions throughout the duration of the collaboration.
Mark Ives, General Manager for the National League, remarked: “We are excited to be working with brands who want to prioritise fan and community projects and gambling awareness, which is absolutely perfect timing, as we welcome back supporters in greater numbers than we have been able to over the last 18-or-so months.
“That period has been extremely challenging for us all and so we are very welcoming of this partnership for at least the next two-years.”
