Behind The Scenes Football Teams Get Time To Shine At London Awards Ceremony

This year’s annual Football Business Awards on Thursday 23rd September will salute the off-pitch teams who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring football to fans during the covid-19 pandemic.

Finalists across 18 categories, including two new awards for Best Covid-19 Community Response across Premier League and Non-Premier League clubs, will be celebrated at a lunchtime awards ceremony at The Brewery in London attended by senior leaders from across the football business industry.

It is the ninth edition of the prestigious awards which are designed to celebrate the achievements, creativity and resilience of those working in football.

A panel of 27 high profile judges have worked their way through hundreds of entries to decide the winners covering all aspects of the football business world including; marketing, community, social responsibility, sponsorship, agency, media, brand activation, fan engagement, technology, social media, digital and innovation.

Simon Burton, Co-founder of the Football Business Awards, said: “It has been one of the most challenging periods in history for both football and business the world over, but what we have seen is that during these times of hardship the spirit of football has truly come into its own. Football is not only a source of entertainment, but a source of escapism and where people can forget their worries for 90-minutes. It’s not all about the glitz and glamour, it’s about the people involved in our game and their passion, hard work and dedication that has kept it going. We’re honoured to be able to recognise these teams and their extraordinary achievements this year and to celebrate with them in person in July.”

Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be presented to winners across each category at the lunchtime ceremony from 12.15pm on Thursday 23rd November at The Brewery in London.

For a full list of judges, categories and for further details, visit www.FootballBusinessAwards.com

The finalists are:

BEST CLUB MARKETING

Accrington Stanley FC
AFC Wimbledon, Plough Lane Bond campaign – Cake
Aston Villa FC – Kit Launch 20/21
Bradford City FC
Brentford FC
Chelsea FC / 500 Supporters Clubs
Everton FC – More Than Eleven
Leyton Orient FC

BEST FOOTBALL COMMUNITY SCHEME

Albion in the Community
Bristol City Robins Foundation
Everton in the Community
Football Unites
Leicester City in the Community
Newcastle United Foundation
Saints Foundation
West Ham United Foundation

SPONSORSHIP / PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR

BT’s Home Nation FA partnerships – Cake
FootballCo
Leyton Orient FC & Harry Kane
Liverpool FC & Carlsberg
Liverpool FC & Standard Chartered – Project Stand Red
Norwich City FC & War Paint for Men
Rangers FC

BEST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SCHEME

BT & #DiscoverDisabilityFootball – Cake
Everton in the Community – Imagine Your Goals
Fulham FC and Foundation
Norwich City FC and Kotkamills – Greener Together
Norwich City FC, Bidstack and Badu Sports
West Ham United FC

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

ArqamFC
Ball Street Network
Cake
Engage Digital Partners Limited
LiveWire Sport
LoveGunn
MatchFit
WePlay

BEST PROFESSIONAL SERVICE BUSINESS SERVING FOOTBALL

DB Living
KSS
Mackrell.Solicitors
Onside Law Limited
Pinsent Masons

BEST IN FOOTBALL MEDIA

Ball Street Network
BT Sport & Singula Decisions
Goal
Leeds United FC, NEO Studios – Take us Home
Motherwell FC

BEST BUSINESS SERVING FOOTBALL

Ahead In Sport & The University of Salford Business School
Little Kickers Group
Other Media
StatsBomb
StreamAMG

BEST BRAND ACTIVATION – NON PREMIER LEAGUE

Ball Street Network
Budweiser – FootballCo
Eastleigh FC
FC Barcelona & Rakuten, Inc
Kia Charge Up campaign – FootballCo
Norwich City FC & War Paint for Men
Rangers FC
SAP Interactive Data Space & TSG Hoffenheim – vStream Health

BEST BRAND ACTIVATION – PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea FC & The Yokohama Rubber Co – 90min
Chelsea FC & Three – Kit Launch
Chelsea FC & Three – Support Someone Else
Everton FC & hummel
Liverpool FC & Nivea Men
Manchester City FC – Water Hero Playbook – Xylem
Manchester United FC & Cadbury
West Ham United FC & Kissimmee

BEST FAN ENGAGEMENT BY CLUB

AFC Wimbledon – Cake
Chelsea FC & FA Cup Final Fest
Chelsea FC & Play Predictor, iX.co
Fulham FC
Leicester City FC
Lincoln City FC
Manchester United FC

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN A FOOTBALL CLUB

Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium Tour – Imagineear SafeSpace
Bristol CIty FC/ Bristol Sport
Leicester City FC
Liverpool FC
Rangers FC
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FOOTBALL

BT Sport and Singula Decisions
Bundesliga – DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH
English Football League – iFollow
LiveScore
On The Ball Global
Other Media – Clubcast
Pixellot
Urban Zoo – Gamechanger

BEST NEW PLAYER / CONTRACT SIGNING REVEAL CAMPAIGN

Arsenal FC
Borrussia Dortmund & SPORTFIVE U.S
Chelsea FC
Everton FC
Manchester United FC
Motherwell FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
West Ham United FC

BEST DIGITAL / SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

Bristol City FC
Engage Digital Partners
Everton FC
Leicester City FC
Manchester United FC
Motherwell FC

INNOVATION AWARD

La Colmena for SDHuesca
LaLiga – Vizrt and EA Sports
LiveScore
Playermaker
Stadion
Standard Chartered & Octagon
The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and Vodafone
TOCA Football

BEST COVID 19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE – NON-PREMIER LEAGUE

Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol City FC
Brentford FC
Bristol Rovers FC
Derby County FC / Community Trust
Dons Local Action Group with AFC Wimbledon Foundation
Notts County FC
Port Vale Foundation Trust
Rangers Charity Foundation

BEST COVID 19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE – PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal FC
Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Chelsea FC
Everton FC and Everton in the Community
Leicester City FC
Manchester City FC
Manchester United FC and Manchester United Foundation
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Wolves Foundation