Manchester United’s sponsor, Snapdragon, has donated kit space for one match each of the men’s and women’s teams to (RED), a charity tackling AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
(RED) collaborates with major global brands to raise funds and awareness for its causes. A percentage of proceeds from every product or service sold by a (RED) partner is donated to the Global Fund, supporting HIV/AIDS programmes across Africa.
As part of the agreement, the (RED) logo will appear on the front of Manchester United’s shirts during the men’s match against West Ham on 10 May and the women’s match against Arsenal on 11 May.
Fans will be able to buy limited-edition shirts featuring the (RED) logo, with proceeds going to the Global Fund, plus additional matching donations from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This initiative stems from a clause in the agreement signed between Manchester United and Qualcomm Technologies (owner of Snapdragon) last July, allowing the company to nominate a charity for the logo swap once per season for both teams.
Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United, commented: “Through the power and innovation of our relationship with Qualcomm Technologies we are proud to use the front of the Manchester United shirt to tell the story of the vital work undertaken by (RED) to fight against health injustice.
“Qualcomm Technologies shares our ambition to use football as a force for good and this activation underlines that aspiration, especially at a time when the world faces enormous challenges in helping the most vulnerable in society.”
The initiative was unveiled at Davos, where a Manchester United shirt featuring the (RED) logo was displayed for the first time.
This type of activation is common in football, with Aston Villa’s shirt sponsor Betano donating the space to Acorns charity for its Champions League match against Young Boys Bern last September.
Don McGuire, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated, said: “We believe that Snapdragon technology can help change the world, and we are proud to support (RED) and its mission to eradicate health injustice.
“Snapdragon is inside billions of devices around the world that people use every day, bringing technology to people’s fingertips and delivering lifechanging access to healthcare and other resources that would be inaccessible otherwise.
“As the front-of-shirt partner for Manchester United, we understand the power of the team’s front-of-shirt placement, with one Manchester United Premier League match providing the same exposure as a championship level sporting event, and we couldn’t think of a better organisation to spotlight for the more than one billion Manchester United fans than (RED).”
The charity organisation has an interesting origin story, founded in 2006 by U2’s lead singer Bono and Bobby Shriver.
Jennifer Lotito, President and COO, (RED), added: “For Qualcomm Technologies to leverage its iconic sponsorship with the world’s most famous football club into a force that saves lives with (RED), is exactly the smart, creative and global firepower the fight to end health injustices needs.
“The energy and passion of football fans, paired with Qualcomm’s long history of driving real impact in communities around the world, make this a particularly exciting partnership as we can educate people about the fight, and give them exciting, tangible ways to get involved and support it themselves.
“Our thanks to all at Qualcomm and Manchester United – both off the pitch, and on – for making this possible.”
