Newbury Racecourse: Unibet launches pilot partnership with #GoRacingGreen - part of its new model for sport sponsorship
Debbie Matthews (centre) with Newbury Racecourse staff in the #GoRacingGreen Quiet ZoneKindred, through its Unibet brand, has today announced a significant investment in #GoRacingGreen, the project run by Debbie Matthews that aims to make racing accessible to those who suffer from mental health problems.
The investment in the pilot scheme with #GoRacingGreen will see the online gambling platformpartner with Matthews’ project at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday (August 17) for Unibet Hungerford Day.
The announcement comes following the news in April that Kindred - through its 32Red brand – were launching a new model of sport sponsorship that benefits both sport and communities. As part of the #GoRacingGreen
project, racegoers to Newbury on Saturday are encouraged towear something green, such as one of the official #GoRacingGreen ribbons, to signify they are happy for someone to approach and talk to them.
#GoRacingGreen works with racecourses to help introduce small changes and additions aroundthe site, including staff awareness and training as well as offering safe and quiet spaces for people.
Permanent members of staff at Newbury Racecourse have recently taken part in a training sessionin order to know how to assist any racegoers experiencing social anxiety. A dedicated #GoRacingGreen Quiet Zone has been
created behind the paddock which will be an alcohol-free area.
Kindred’s investment into a pilot #GoRacingGreen scheme will see Matthews take the projectto more racecourses and gives a boost to the great success it has already achieved.Tackling mental health is at the core of
Kindred’s commitment to become the sponsor of choicefor sporting organisations and their communities and reinvent sponsorship so that it benefits places and communities.
Ed Nicholson is Head of Racing Communications & Sponsorship at Kindred Group: “The investmentwe are announcing today means GoRacingGreen can continue to build on their fantastic work since they started the project
earlier this year. Having attended the training session undertaken at Newburyearlier in the week, I saw at first-hand what a fantastic scheme this is."
"Our partnership with GoRacingGreen shows a new model for sport sponsorship is possible. Kindredis leading the way in becoming a sponsor for a sport and it’s communities and we are
lookingforward to piloting the project at Newbury this Saturday.”
Debbie Matthews, founder of #GoRacingGreen, said: “This investment is a fantastic boost for the#GoRacingGreen project, and I am delighted to be working with Kindred through its
Unibet brand.Working in partnership with them, we can now expand the programme and reach many morepeople with mental health problems across the racing community in the
months ahead.”
Harriet Collins is Marcomms & Sponsorship Director at Newbury Racecourse: “We are delightedto be working with both Unibet and Debbie Matthews on thisinitiative. Members of our
permanentstaff have undergone training with Debbie and we have plans to keep increasing this number overthe course of the year."
"We have created a dedicated #GoRacingGreen Quiet Zone for this Saturday's meeting -for those looking for a safe space away from the crowds and hope it will be well received.”