The cooperation will take the shape of various joint initiatives, kicking off with Dutch (European) football association KNVB’s Calvé Street Football.
Fifty-four of the street football -- or soccer -- tournaments that Unilever has organised through its partnership with KNVB will take place at Albert Heijn locations across the Netherlands.
The tournaments will begin on April 22 and run through until early June and will be for all children between the ages of eight and 12 years.
Similar goals
Albert Heijn and Unilever share similar goals. Both want to encourage children to exercise more and raise public awareness about the value of good health and vitality. Far too regularly children have little exercise and this can result in obesity.
Albert Heijn and Unilever want to reinforce their social commitment and both companies have a strong relationship with football: Albert Heijn through its links with the Premier League and Unilever through its sponsorship of KNVB.
Calvé peanut butter has for many years been linked with football. The sport is the focus of a number of peanut butter commercials.
“With KNVB Calvé street football we can show youngsters just how much pleasure they can get from a small game of football. With these tournaments we can get around 40,000 kids exercising,” says Harry Brouwer, Unilever director. “In Albert Heijn we have found a partner that will actively bring us into contact with many families.”
Albert Heijn takes the football theme even further with its Unilever partnership. “Albert Heijn really wants to play an active role in improving health,” says Dick Boer, Albert Heijn President and CEO.
“A healthy life goes further than simply eating healthily: sport and exercise also play an important role. Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands and is therefore an attractive sport for Albert Heijn to be associated with. In this way, each and every Albert Heijn store will have a positive impact on its neighbourhood by organising local activities. The street football tournaments are a good example of how all these things can be done.”
Promoting football
The KNVB promotes football in all its forms. One of these is street football. In 2009 all these street football tournaments will carry the name Calvé. “We have an important new partner for the street football tournaments,” says Ruud Bruijnis, director of amateur football at KNVB. “Even more children than before can now take part across the country with these tournaments organised by Albert Heijn.”
The KNVB Calvé Street Football Tournament will have a pyramid structure whereby local rounds will result in regional finals and then district finals. At the end of the season on July 4, a national final will take place at the Dam square in Amsterdam.