Credit: FCUMania
Fairtrade footballs are set to be used by the De Montfort University and the University of Leicester for the first time in an upcoming varsity football clash.
Karl Letten of the DMU sustainability office donated seven Fairtrade footballs, which are to be used in the firsts varsity matches for both the men’s and women’s football.
Karl said: “Sports societies have always been a great way to promote awareness, and there is no better way to promote sports Fairtrade products than by having the varsity teams make use of them.
“By having the footballs in play we are hoping that people will grow more aware of the fact that Fairtrade is not only a supplier of consumable goods such as coffee and sugar, but also of other merchandise including sports equipment and clothing.”
Karl added: “Inspiration for the use of the footballs came from Leicester’s already existing image as both a green and Fairtrade supporting city.
“This already existing image provided us an excellent basis to experiment on the ways that we could promote awareness of Fairtrade.”
The footballs themselves are individually hand-sewn in Pakistan in accordance with FIFA standards and were obtained from the Fairtrade ‘Bala sport’ organisation.
Karl confirmed the Fairtrade footballs would be the first to be used in a University varsity match in the United Kingdom.
The women’s football match begins at 6pm and the men’s football match will begin at 8pm, both matches will be taking place at the Oadby Town Football Club ground.
By Jason Cowlishaw
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