LONDON, Mar 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Three
leading European football leagues will turn (RED)(TM) this weekend as
Nike (NYSE:NKE) introduces a special edition (PRODUCT)RED(TM) ball in
the leagues' home fixtures to raise awareness of the (NIKE) RED 'Lace
Up. Save Lives' partnership.
In a unified show of support for the global initiative, England's
Barclays Premier League, Spain's La Liga BBVA and Italy's Serie A TIM
will use a special (NIKE)RED ball at all home games over the weekend of March 13th and 14th.
The Nike and (RED) partnership invites people to 'Lace Up. Save Lives' by purchasing a pair of (NIKE)RED laces. One hundred percent of the profits from (NIKE)RED
laces is split equally between The Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, which funds AIDS programs that provide
medicine, treatment and services for those living with HIV, and
football-based community initiatives that deliver education and
understanding around HIV/AIDS prevention.
The (NIKE)RED ball is a specially designed T90 Ascente -
the same make of ball currently used by all three leagues and boasts all
of the technological innovations that the players are accustomed to
week in week out, but features the (RED) laces graphic on the exterior.
These balls are available to buy now for £150 from http://www.nikestore.com.
Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said: "The
Premier League has enormous global appeal and we are committed to using
our reach to raise awareness of this partnership between, Nike, one of
our longest serving commercial partners, and (RED). A red ball and red
laces are simple ideas, but sometimes those are the best - the hope is
that the profile given through this and the money raised through 'Lace
Up, Save Lives' will provide significant impetus and funding to the
Global Fund's activities to aid the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Africa."
Susan Smith Ellis, CEO of (RED) says: "Having three of the world's
Premier football leagues is a force multiplier for NIKE AND (RED). It
raises awareness. It expands our reach. Most important, it benefits
those who suffer from AIDS in Africa. We could not be more pleased."
"Nike has a history of elevating global causes through sport. Through
the power and appeal of football, this campaign not only highlights the
HIV/AIDS issue globally, it has also created a great way to raise much
needed funds," said Mark Parker, President & CEO of NIKE, Inc.
On November 30th, 2009, the eve of World AIDS Day, Didier
Drogba (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal),
Denilson (Arsenal), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Lucas Neill
(Galatasaray), Clint Dempsey (Fulham) and Seol Ki-Hyeon (Fulham) joined
U2 front man Bono and Mark Parker at Niketown London to announce the
partnership.
The (NIKE)RED Limited Edition Ascente Ball will be available for £150 and 2010 (NIKE)RED Limited Edition Brasil N98 Track Jackets will also be £150 and both will be sold globally from March 3rd. (NIKE)RED products are also now being sold at retail. (NIKE)RED laces are available now at Nike Store locations, key retailers and http://www.nikefootball.com/RED or at http://www.nikestore.com. The jackets are numbered. A second round of balls will be available again starting in May.
-Ends-
Outside of the three leagues, a series of (RED)-themed games will be played highlighting awareness of the initiative:
- 13 March: Hertha BSC vs. FC Nurnberg (Germany)
- 24 March: FC Basel vs. FC Zurich (Switzerland)
- 20 March: FK Austria Wien vs FC Salzburg (Austria)
- 20 March: PSV vs. FC Twente (Netherlands)
- 20 March: Trabzonspor vs. Galatasaray (Turkey)
- 1 April: Corinthians vs. Cerro Porteno (Brazil)
About Nike
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse
Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel
and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes
luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading
United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley
International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports
and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more
information, visit http://www.nikebiz.com.
About (RED)(TM) and (PRODUCT)RED(TM)
(RED)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising
awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in
Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT)RED
mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the
profits from that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in
Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current
partners/services are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo,
Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) an online flower service in
the UK, Hallmark, Dell, Nike and Starbucks. Since its launch in the
Spring of 2006, more than $140 million has been generated by (RED) for
the Global Fund. One hundred percent of this money is put to work in
Global Fund AIDS grants in Africa with no overhead taken out. (RED)
money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana and Lesotho. For more
information, visit http://www.joinred.com
About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership
dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent
and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between
governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities
represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global
Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral
organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three
diseases. Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the
dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,
with approved funding of US$ 18.4 billion for more than 600 programs in
144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have saved
4.5 million lives through providing AIDS treatment for 2.3 million
people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 5.4 million people and the
distribution of 88 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the
prevention of malaria.
For more information, including multi-media materials, please visit: http://www.nikemedia.com
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6205632<=en
SOURCE: Nike
NIKE:
Claire Parnell, Nike Communications Manager
Claire.Parnell@nike.com
(m) +44 (0)7714 724990
or
(RED):
Erin Heath, Director, Partners/Marketing International
Erin.Heath@joinred.com
(m) +44 (0) 7595 820 478