English professional football club Nottingham Forest have announced a new shirt partnership after going the first half of the 2022-23 season without a main shirt sponsor. The UK’s UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) insignia will be shown on the front of the Forest shirts of both their men’s and women’s teams starting January 2023. The club have stated that the decision has been taken to show “solidarity for families who have been forced to flee their homes and communities“.
Also read: Nottingham Forest Sponsors 2022-23
The UNHCR supports relief efforts for people fleeing conflict and persecution around the world. Forest follow in the footsteps of Spanish club FC Barcelona, who in March 2022 announced a collaboration with the UNHCR to help pay aid for displaced people in nations like Uganda and Colombia as well as other support like sporting goods. Additionally, Forest have donated money to help with global disaster operations.
The club further have claimed that they will make use of their “commercial and marketing channels to drive awareness of [the] UNHCR’s humanitarian work, such as the delivery of emergency shelter, medical aid, water, and sanitation when families are forced from their homes by conflict and persecution“.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Owner of Nottingham Forest FC Evangelos Marinakis said:
“We are delighted that for the remainder of the season we will use the front of the famous Nottingham Forest shirt to tell such an important story. It will be an honour to display their name on our shirt in support of this important cause.
“I am proud to have partnered with the United Nations’ global work before, with Olympiacos FC back in 2013. We supported UNICEF for four years, choosing to make a significant financial contribution to their charitable work rather than taking income from a sponsor, and giving their cause prominence on the front, and then the back, of the Olympiacos shirt.
“I hope fans of Nottingham Forest will also be proud that we have chosen to highlight the work of UNHCR for the remainder of the season, in addition to the local causes our Community Trust supports. This comes at a time when the world faces enormous challenges in helping the most vulnerable people in society.“
Additionally, Nottingham Forest FC Chairman Nicholas Randall KC added:
“We are proud of our track record of using the power of Nottingham Forest and football as a force for good in our local community. Our ascension to the Premier League in the summer now offers us an invaluable opportunity to extend that on an international scale.
“We are therefore delighted to give UK for UNHCR the platform to raise awareness of its relief efforts for refugees on the front of our shirt. This feels even more pertinent than ever right now, with more than 100 million people currently displaced globally, almost half of them children, and such visibility on our shirt and channels will ensure this vital cause is seen by millions around the world every week.”
Charlotte Boyle, UK Chairperson for the UNHCR, added:
“From fighting racism and homophobia, to standing with refugees, football clubs around the world are using their power to confront discrimination and support people in need. We are hugely grateful to Nottingham Forest’s generosity and compassion. Forest is sending a powerful message to families fleeing conflict that they will not be forgotten.“
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