News: Global Umbro promotion ends at Wembley

Umbro is promoting its brand and products through a new international football tournament in London for under-16 players, which starts today (July 14).

Experiential agency RPM was appointed to co-ordinate the Destination Wembley event which sees six international teams play in a tournament, including the UK, Canada, China, Italy and Scotland.

Each team of boys will get the chance to receive professional coaching and try out the latest Umbro football performance products, before playing the round-robin tournament.

They will also have an opportunity to be involved with local activities and see the sights of London. The tournament culminates this Saturday with a final match at Wembley Stadium, followed by an awards ceremony held on a Thames cruise boat.

The football teams were recruited through various consumer promotions worldwide. In China for example, they ran a retail promotion linked to the sales of Umbro football performance products. On purchase, consumers were offered the chance to enter a local talent day, where players were then selected for the Destination Wembley tournament.

During the tournament, the players will be staying at Kingston University campus, where a marquee will be installed providing entertainment for the player’s leisure time. Here, a gaming console will be available for a friendly interactive tournament, Destination Wembley Gaming, which will conclude on the boat during its journey from Putney to the London Eye.

Duncan Thomson, sports marketing manager at Umbro, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to both engage with our core consumer, and provide a platform for talented young people to showcase their skills and experience playing football at an international level.”

Alex Webb, specialist events director at RPM, added: “It’s certainly been an extensive task – we’ve been responsible for the handling of the entire event, from liaising with all the international football clubs, sourcing accommodation, arranging fun days for the players, through to organising the matches, the big finale at Wembley and the boat party. This is an exciting event to be working on and we’re thrilled to be part of something that encourages new talent.”