Friends for Emirates FA Cup

The Greens shirts for the trip to Grimsby Town in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup will bear the logo of Scandinavian anti-bullying charity Friends, courtesy of Argyle shareholder Victor Hedman.

Hedman, the Swedish ice hockey star who is part of the Argyle Green group that purchased a 20 per cent stake in the club in August, kindly donated the sleeve sponsorship to a cause close to his heart in his native Sweden.

Every year, Friends visits hundreds of schools, pre-schools and sports clubs in Sweden. For many years, Friends has had a special focus on improving culture and promoting a safe environment in sports clubs and sports associations for children.

Part of Friends’ work includes international sports projects to erase bullying, with a particular focus on football. The brand is growing in prominence in football circles, including naming rights to the 50,000 all-seater Friends Arena in Stockholm, home of AIK.

Friends furthered its anti-bullying commitment by founding the World Anti Bullying Forum – the planet’s largest anti bullying conference – in 2017.

The addition of the Friends brand means the Greens’ kit for the clash in Lincolnshire will bear the logo of two charitable causes, alongside the club’s own social action initiative Project 35 – delivered in partnership with Ginsters.

Victor Hedman said: “I’m very proud to have Friends be a part of our team for this Emirates FA Cup fixture against Grimsby. Friends is an anti-bullying organisation that have done some unbelievable work in the community, and their values very much align with those of Argyle, which makes us a great fit.”

James Greenacre, Argyle’s Head of Commercial Operations, said: “It’s amazing to be able to welcome Friends to the club for this weekend’s fixture – and we thank Victor for another opportunity to use the reach of Argyle to promote another wonderful cause.”

Lovisa Lönnebo, Friends Communications Director, said: “Bullying is a global problem. No actor can manage this on their own. Therefor Friends are grateful that organisations like Argyle offer us the opportunity to be seen in forums like these. Every contribution, big or small is a vital investment in the change Friends is fighting for”. 

For more information on Friends, and the valuable work that they do, visit their website.

Interested in learning more about harnessing the power of Argyle for your brand or business? Email commercial@pafc.co.uk or call 01752 302206 to kick off a conversation.