NEWS | BLOG

Royal Windsor Racecourse is seeking a headline sponsor to partner the Racecourse’s inaugural Football Furlong™ Raceday on Sunday, 8 August 2010. Football Furlong™ is a unique fusion of horseracing and football with jockeys racing in the generic shirt colours of the 20 English Premier League football clubs, and has been hosted at Haydock Park and Leopardstown Racecourses in previous years.

Headline sponsorship benefits include overall event title naming rights plus title ownership of five of the day’s races, covered by satellite channel At The Races with domestic distribution to over 12 million UK and Irish homes; significant branding on all event marketing and throughout the Racecourse; PA announcements on the day targeted at the 9,000 racegoers; substantial VIP hospitality in private, course-facing facilities at the beautiful riverside Racecourse; exclusive access to Premier League football stars and VIPs; partnership to be publicised in all pre-raceday literature and press releases.

Fantastic marketing, hospitality and sales promotion platform with PR cut through.

Contact Matthew Foxton-Duffy, Sales & Marketing Manager, 01753 498 442, matthew.foxton-duffy@windsor-racecourse.co.uk for further details.

For a detailed proposal please click on the following link:

RWR Football Furlong Proposal, May 2010 LR

30th November 2008

Cash could go out of fashion at certain racecourse outlets if a scheme familiar in Germany and Sweden and pioneered in Britain at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena catches on, writes Howard Wright in The Racing Post.

Revolution Sports Marketing Group: +44 (0) 207 928 9999
team@revolutionsports.co.uk

16 August 2006

England and Newcastle striker Michael Owen paid a flying visit to the Guildford offices of international property developer First Homes Worldwide today, to sign up as the company’s first International Ambassador.
 
Whilst at the offices Owen met with the 50 strong management and staff, and even spoke with some unsuspecting customers on the telephone!
 
The agreement between Owen and First Homes Worldwide, part of The First Group family of companies, will see him represent the company’s most prestigious development, The Diamond at Dubai Sports City, around the world. He will be making personal appearances in Dubai as well as appearing in national press advertising and on marketing materials.
 
Commenting on the visit, Owen said, “I really enjoyed meeting the team behind the First Homes Worldwide operation and look forward to working closely with them on The Diamond and other projects.”
 
He continued, “The life of a professional footballer is a challenging one, which is why I take my investments seriously. The First Homes Worldwide team has a long history of successful global property developments and I’m delighted to have signed with them.” 
 
Danny Lubert, managing Director of First Homes Worldwide LLC said, “Michael is a global footballing icon, and will help First Homes market the special benefits of our projects to investors around the world. We are thrilled that he has agreed to join with us.”
 
The Diamond at Dubai Sports City comprises 114 luxury residential units with views across parkland and a 27-hole Ernie Els championship golf course. Utilising First Homes Worldwide’s unique WealthBuilder program, investing in The Diamond promises genuine capital growth potential married with above-average rental returns on a year-to-year basis.
 
For further media information please contact:
 
Rod Kohler, Revolution PR                      
Tel: 01903 883 747

12 July 2006

England and Everton striker James Beattie has made a shock start to the Premiership season – by signing to 32Red.com Football Furlong.

Everton fans need not worry – their idol has only signed to be the Official Ambassador to the unique football-themed race day at Haydock Park Racecourse on Sunday 16 July and has no plans to leave the Merseyside club!

32Red.com Football Furlong is the one day of the year when the sports of football and horse racing come together.

All the jockeys wear the representative colours of the 20 Premiership soccer clubs rather than the traditional silks of the owners of the horses they are riding. Horses and jockeys accrue points for the teams which go towards a league table throughout the day.

Now in its third year, Football Furlong has been won by Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan over the last two years. The North West is well represented with Man United and City, Everton and Liverpool, Bolton Blackburn and Wigan amongst the clubs taking part. 

Beattie said, “32Red.com Football Furlong is a great way for fans to back their teams before the season starts. It promises to be a great day’s racing and great fun for all the supporters – there’s a free football masterclass, autograph signings and a mascot race as well as six cracking races”.

For more information on the event please visit www.footballfurlong.com
For further media information, please contact:

Rod Kohler, Revolution PR    
Tel: 01903 883747  
Mob: 07770 647662

30 June 2006

The UK facing online casino and poker operator, 32Red Plc , who have recently signed a six figure deal with Aston Villa to be their official shirt sponsor for the next two seasons, have become the new sponsor of the Football Furlong race day at Haydock Park which takes place on Sunday 16 July 2006.

Now in its third year, Football Furlong is a unique day of racing which sees jockeys wear the representative colours of the 20 Premiership clubs rather than the traditional silks of the owners of the horses they are riding.

There are six races with 10 horses in each with each horse being represented by a Premiership football club – therefore each Club will have three riders. Points are awarded according to finishing positions with 10 points for 1st, 9 points for 2nd etc with the winner taking home the 32Red.com Football Furlong Trophy.

Ed Ware, CEO of 32Red Plc, commented: ‘The Football Furlong day at Haydock Park provides us with a perfect match in terms of our horse racing and football sponsorships. It would be very apt if one of the Aston Villa mascots could win the Mascot race.’

Merrick Haydon, the founder of Football Furlong said, “We are delighted to have signed 32Red as the event’s title sponsor, and look forward to working closely with the team on this unique day of racing.” 

As well as the six race card there will be a Soccer Academy as well as autograph signing sessions. The highlight of the entertainment will be ‘The World’s Richest Mascot Race’ with the first three mascots taking place in a penalty shoot out with the winner receiving £500.  With 32Red sponsoring the raceday it would be apt if the Aston Villa mascots, Hercules and Bella, were to win the Mascot Race.

For further information please contact:
Rod Kohler, Revolution on 01903 883747

23 May 2005

Leopardstown Racecourse, Ireland: Irish International and Premiership star, Matt Holland has been made an Ambassador to MasterCard Football Furlong, the new football-themed raceday being held for the first time in Ireland at Leopardstown Racecourse on Saturday 2 July 2005.

As well as presenting the MasterCard trophy to the winning team at the end of the six races, Matt will be meeting fans and signing autographs. He will also be judging the ‘Best Dressed Fans’ competition and taking part in a celebrity penalty shoot-out.

Football Furlong is the new raceday format where all the jockeys race in the representative shirt colours of the 20 English Premiership Football Clubs in the 2005/2006 season. The results of each race will be compiled into a premier league-style points system culminating over the six races with the winning club receiving the perpetual trophy.

Holland, a regular race goer, commented: “This is a dream role for me as I love racing and follow the horses.  Football has such close links with racing, with more players and managers than ever getting involved with the sport. MasterCard Football Furlong is a fantastic new event for Ireland and Leopardstown – if you follow football and fancy a night at the races you’ll love Football Furlong.” 

Matt O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of Leopardstown, said: “It is great news that Matt Holland is coming to Leopardstown for football’s big day at the races.  Matt is especially popular in Ireland and fits extremely well with the event given the strong proliferation of Irish players in English football and the huge Irish football supporter fan base over here”.

As well as a great evening’s racing, MasterCard Football Furlong will also feature recent Meteor Ireland Music Awards winner – Juliet Turner – performing live in concert at the racecourse after racing. 

Matt Holland was snapped-up by Charlton at the end of the 2002/03 season and was quickly installed as captain.  He is extremely popular with the fans wherever he has played, especially when getting forward to grab vital goals.  Holland, who has over 30 international caps for Ireland and played a vital part in their 2002 World Cup, continues as a major driving force in the midfield and is looking to help his national side make the 2006 World Cup.
For further information, please contact:

Ruth Chamberlain, Leopardstown    
Tel: 01 289 0500     
E-Mail: rchamberlain@leopardstown.com

Rod Kohler, Revolution      
M: + 00 44 (0)7770 647662
      

8 May 2005

Leopardstown Racecourse, Ireland: Irish International and Liverpool football legend Jason McAteer and top Irish model Claudine Palmer, today launched the new football-themed raceday – Football Furlong™ sponsored by MasterCard – to be held for the first time in Ireland at Leopardstown Racecourse on Saturday 2 July 2005.

Football Furlong™ is the new football-themed raceday consisting of six races with each jockey racing in the representative shirt colours of the top English Premiership football clubs in the 2005/2006 season.  The results of each race will be compiled into a league points system culminating over the six races with the winning club receiving the perpetual MasterCard Football Furlong Trophy.

At the launch it was announced that leading global payments company, MasterCard, will be the overall event title sponsor.

The inaugural Football Furlong™ event was held at Haydock Park Racecourse in 2004 to huge acclaim.  The concept is based on the long established and strong relationship between racing and football with past and present players including Niall Quinn, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Sir Alex Ferguson, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Kevin Keegan all owning racehorses.

Merrick Haydon, Managing Director of Revolution Sports Marketing Group, which owns the rights to the event, said: “Football Furlong is an event that taps into the huge dual interest that exists between horseracing and football. It’s a terrific opportunity for us to bring the event to Ireland as there is such a strong proliferation of Irish players in English football and a huge Irish-supporter fan base”.

He continued, “We are especially pleased to launch Football Furlong™ in Ireland at Leopardstown and to have MasterCard’s support in this groundbreaking new raceday.  MasterCard has been a driving force right from the beginning in the Ireland event, and we firmly believe this raceday will be an even greater success with their involvement – Leopardstown Racecourse was the clear favourite as our venue due to its stature as a world class racecourse and its close proximity to Dublin”.

Irish and Premiership football legend, Jason McAteer, said: “Football and racing have always had close links and a lot of the top players are good friends with some of the jockeys such as Kieren Fallon. MasterCard Football Furlong is a fantastic new event for Ireland – it’s sure to be a great night out and something for the fans to support.” 

As well as a great evening’s racing, MasterCard Football Furlong will also feature recent Meteor Ireland Music Awards winner – Juliet Turner – performing live in concert at the racecourse after racing. 

MasterCard Football Furlong is deliberately scheduled in the off-season in order not to clash with domestic football fixtures and to provide further interest for the considerable football fans based in Ireland in the out-of-season period.

Matt O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of Leopardstown, said: “MasterCard Football Furlong fits perfectly with our objectives of seeking new initiatives and opportunities to help raise the public profile of the sport and attract new audiences to racing at Leopardstown.  We will be giving MasterCard Football Furlong our full support within our summer racing season.  We especially welcome MasterCard as new sponsors to Leopardstown“.

Rita Broe, VP of Marketing for MasterCard in Northern Europe, said: “MasterCard Football Furlong is an exciting new event and we are pleased to be involved with it.  We have been a global sponsor and supporter of football for many years, and it’s great to find a sponsorship which brings this together with another great Irish passion – horse racing.  The day should be truly priceless!

For further information, please contact:

Rod Kohler, Revolution Tel: + 00 44 (0)7770 647662
 

     
 
Notes to Editors:

Tickets to MasterCard Football Furlong are available at Leopardstown online at www.leopardstown.com or through its ticket hotline 01 289 0500.

Disclaimer:
Neither Football Furlong™ or any other parties detailed are authorised by or associated with any of the Clubs or The Premier League.

MasterCard Football Furlong Race Format & Conditions
 Horses will ‘represent’ one English football club only in each race.
 Six races. Each race limited to 10 runners with two reserves. (Eligibility of horses will be determined by their ratings).
 Horses will enter in the normal way.
 All jockeys will wear special football club shirt colour silks.
 10 horses per race will be pre-drawn at random from each race ‘squad’ and independently allocated to one football club to provide an even allocation for each of the 20 football clubs over the six races.
 Each club will be represented once in a total of three races.
 Points will be awarded to each horse that finishes in each race to create the League table for each football club (10 points for 1st – 1 point for 10th); the football club with the most points in the ‘league’ after all six races have been run will receive the perpetual MasterCard Football Furlong Trophy.

About MasterCard International
MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members’ credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard International manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment cards brands including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus® and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless® advertising campaign is now seen in 96 countries and in 48 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com or refer to our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown has been continuously upgraded and developed over the years to become one of the premier racecourses in Europe, in terms of both the quality of racing and its facilities. The roll of both equine and human legends which have thrilled Leopardstown racegoers over the years is infinite, including modern day stars as Florida Pearl, Istabraq, Giant’s Causeway and Sinndar.
 

14 April, 2004

An innovative new football-themed raceday called Football Furlong will take place at Haydock Park Racecourse on Sunday 11 July 2004, sponsored by leading bookmaker Paddy Power plc.

Paddy Power Football Furlong is a new concept featuring six races with jockeys racing in the shirt colours of Premiership football clubs.  The results of each race will be compiled into a league points system culminating over the six races with the winning ‘club’ receiving the perpetual Paddy Power Football Furlong Trophy. The event will raise funds for the NSPCC’s Full Stop Campaign.

At the recent launch on 30 March 2004 at Chelsea FC, it was announced that Paddy Power plc, will be the title sponsor of the event for the next three years.  The relationship between racing and football has a long established history with past and present players including Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Lee Clark, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Kevin Keegan all owning racehorses.

Merrick Haydon, the creator and driving force behind the concept of Football Furlong, said: “Paddy Power Football Furlong is an event that taps into the huge dual interest and synergy that exists between horseracing and football. It has been developed over the past two years with the help of Sir Alex Ferguson to combine both sports and produce a fun day’s racing during the Premiership off-season.”

He continued, “I am especially pleased to have Paddy Power’s support – we deliberately targeted Paddy Power for their renowned consumer focus, and firmly believe the event will be an even greater success with their involvement.”

John O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Paddy Power plc said, “Paddy Power Football Furlong is a great new initiative in racing and we are delighted to be supporting such an event whose innovative approach allows us to demonstrate our unique, dynamic and punter-friendly approach to betting.”

Paddy Power Football Furlong has joined forces with the NSPCC in a three-year partnership that hopes to raise over £50,000 for the Full Stop Campaign. Already well established in the football and racing worlds, the NSPCC will be undertaking a range of fundraising activities including auctioning off the special shirt colours worn by the jockeys on the day.

As well as a great day’s racing, Paddy Power Football Furlong will feature a range of ‘off course’ attractions that will keep the whole family entertained. These will include the opportunity to have your picture taken with the FA Cup, autograph sessions with players, mini football matches and much more. In addition, within the Football Furlong Village, the National Football Museum and the National Horseracing Museum will be exhibiting memorabilia from the football and racing worlds.  Liverpool’s leading radio station and official media partner to Paddy Power Football Furlong, Radio City 96.7 FM, will also be broadcasting live from the event.

Revolution Sports Marketing Group: 07770 647 662