Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

Valero Energy Ltd, who market fuel in the UK under the Texaco brand and is the Official Motor Fuel Partner to the Football League Championship, has launched a new Facebook site, Texaco FC (Fan Central). Texaco FC will host new and exclusive player and manager interviews from the npower Championship. The site will also serve as an online forum for news and stories for football fans around the country. Those who visit the site will be able to view video content, enter monthly competitions, and put their questions via Twitter to Championship club managers. Fans are also able to play Texaco’s two official online games of the npower Championship, Texaco Fantasy Football and Texaco Football Predictor.

Texaco has teamed up with Fenners, from Sky Sport’s Take it Like a Fan, to visit club training grounds and interview players and managers to create the new and exclusive video content for Texaco FC.

Stuart Morgan, Head of Partnerships at The Football League said: “The Texaco FC fan site is an interactive hub for fans of Championship clubs to compare their progress in both online games and enjoy exclusive content from players and managers.
“The platform represents another exciting step forward in our relationship with Texaco and further engages their brand with thousands of supporters.”

Stuart McBride, Brand Specialist for the Texaco brand in the UK, added: “It’s now our fourth year of sponsoring the npower Championship and we are extremely excited by the development of Texaco FC. The video content is very original and gives fans a completely different insight in to what goes on behind the scenes at their club. We are confident that the content will also be enjoyed by fans from other clubs too and we invite them to share their opinions on our Wall, as well as entering our competition and updating their teams and predictions with Texaco Fantasy Football and Texaco Football Predictor.”

The Football League has extended its partnership with Chevron Ltd, owner of the Texaco brand, the official Motor Fuel and Motor Oil Partner of the Championship until the end of the 2013/14 season.  The three-year renewal takes the relationship to six seasons and will see participating Championship clubs receive funding towards the cost of first team travel.

The multi-million pound ‘opt in’ deal also includes designation, club inventory – including perimeter boards – and programme advertising for all participating clubs. Texaco will remain as sponsors of the online Fantasy Football predictor game for the npower Championship and receive an online package across participating club websites and The Football League website.

Kieron Kilbride, Director of Business Development at The Football League, said: “We are delighted to have signed a new three-year agreement with the Texaco brand.  “This extension with one of our group of highly valued partners demonstrates the appeal of our partnership programme which offers brands unique access to both traditional and digital platforms.

“The Football League has a great track record of building long term partnerships and we are excited that we can now continue to work with the Texaco brand in engaging with millions of fans across England and Wales.”

Stuart McBride, Texaco Brand Specialist, said: “The Football League Championship remains a great fit for the values of our brand, and we are delighted to be continuing our relationship. A continuous programme of activity on forecourts, at the football grounds and in the media over the last three seasons has really helped to keep the Texaco brand profile high and ultimately drive customers to our forecourts. We are looking forward to building on the relationships we have developed with the clubs and their fans over the next three seasons.”

Texaco, Official Motor Fuel Partner of the npower Championship, has launched Teach Your Kids Proper Footy – a campaign which is aiming to bring back the values and sportsmanship to football. 
Launched at the Freemasons Arms, London where 147 years ago the first official football rules were written in 1863, the ‘Teach Your Kids Proper Footy’ campaign aims to get young fans to support their local npower Championship club.
Texaco want to highlight that football has evolved over the years and while the essentials are still the same, there are certain less attractive elements which have crept in – diving, feigning injury, tantrums or professional fouls to name just a few.
Matt Le Tissier, Texaco’s Proper Footy ambassador said: “We want to get back to basics.  The game has changed a lot but at its heart it’s still the same.  We need to reaffirm the key values and to teach the next generation about the spirit of the game and how it should be played.  There is also a lot of money and glamour in the game these days. With that comes some amazing talent, but also a lot of bad habits. We think football boots should be black not gold. We think professional footballers should do their job on the field not the catwalk and we think proper players chase the ball not fame – that’s what properfooty.com is all about.”