BanaBay has established a partnership with the UK's leading football skills class which has an ex-England international footballer as its director.
Birmingham-based FootieBugs, whose figurehead is former Premier League star Lee Hendrie, works with children aged between three and nine to keep them active, build their confidence, and encourage healthy eating.
BanaBay is keen to raise its profile among children and families through the partnership with FootieBugs, spreading the message that a banana is the ultimate pre-sport snack and an important source of energy, minerals and fibre. 'In other words,' a spokesperson said, 'bananas are ‘Food for Sport’, which is the partnership slogan.'
The fruit firm, which has more than 30 years' experience of banana production and exportation to wholesale and retail clients, will support a number of FootieBugs initiatives, starting with the FootieBugs Golf Classic held at Astbury Hall on 6 November in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, in the company of Hendrie himself, plus Peter Crouch and a host of other football stars.
Hendrie, who represented the national team against the Czech Republic, and made more than 250 appearances for established top-division side Aston Villa, said: 'As a kid, I always used to have bananas, as you can do so much with them, like smoothies, and you can have them on a sandwich too. They are a fruit you can do fun things with, and they are easy to eat.
'As a footballer, we always used to have bananas before games and after games because of the quick energy-release that helps sportspeople. No football changing room would be complete without a box of bananas for a pre-match energy boost, and this is something we will be passing on to our fledgling players, along with helping them to be part of a team, building their confidence, developing balance and co-ordination.'
He added: 'Food, particularly fruit, is the way forward, and so what a great partner BanaBay are; what more could we ask for? Fruit and sport is the perfect combo.'
Mark O’Sullivan, MD at BanaBay, said: “We are really excited about this partnership. Both BanaBay and FootieBugs are targeting the same marketplace, reaching out to consumers and promoting the message that healthy eating and sport go hand in hand. We’re looking forward to working with FootieBugs and building positive brand awareness for both companies.”
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