Kick It Out and Fanatics have teamed up with Everton, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County Football Club to launch its first ever club-branded merchandise and support the charity’s goal of tackling discrimination and promoting equality and inclusion in all sports.
Through the partnership, Fanatics has designed, manufactured and will sell a range of club-branded fanwear, emblazoned with club, Kick It Out and Fanatics branding, designed to empower fans to show their shared support for Kick It Out and its mission.
The range, which includes both men’s and women’s t-shirts and hoodies in a variety of sizes, colours and styles, is now available for fans to purchase through the Everton, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County official retail outlets, as well as their official online stores.
The collaboration is the latest step in Fanatics’ ongoing work with Kick It Out as the organisation’s official merchandise partner, which began last August with the launch of a branded range of Kick It Out merchandise. Fanatics also supports Kick It Out’s Raise Your Game programme, which provides mentoring and leadership opportunities for people from underrepresented groups who want to work in sport.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer football fans a means to showcase their pride in their team while doing their part to call out and end discrimination in sport,” commented Hollie Varney, coo at Kick it Out. “Being able to partner with forward-thinking clubs such as Everton, Derby County, Aston Villa and Wolves, and the support of their passionate fanbases, is key to raising awareness and support for our mission.
“We are also thrilled to have been able to work with Fanatics, which shares our passion about making sport inclusive for all, on this range as part of our continued partnership. We are so excited to be able to offer football fans everywhere the chance to show their passion for both their club and for equality and inclusion in sport.”
Michael Taylor, head of marketing at Fanatics’ international branded division, continued: “Equality, diversity and inclusion is a key tenet of our culture at Fanatics and lies at the heart of both our values and everything we do. Subsequently, we are thrilled to have been able to bring our global reach and expertise to bear in developing this exciting new range of merchandise for Kick It Out, and football fans across the globe.”
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