Avery Dennison collaborates with inclusive footfall teams for new project

Global materials science company Avery Dennison has announced a partnership to support women’s and non-binary people’s football at a grassroots level.

The company has joined forces with the South London Laces and Manchester Laces to provide branding and promotion for its inclusive women's and non-binary people's football teams.

Stemming from its values in Diversity, Equity and Inclusions (DE&I), Avery Dennison has partnered with the clubs in a continued mission to aid under-served communities.

Jeremy Bauer, Global Commercial Director of Embelex, Avery Dennison RBIS, commented: “Avery Dennison recognises the benefits of grassroots football – it aligns closely with our own values and shows that Avery Dennison is far more than a trims supplier. It’s a huge honour for us to be supporting both the Manchester Laces and South London Laces teams.”

Creative partners have been brought on board to provide digital solutions, such as Stadio, a football-centric podcast, and VERSUS, a publishing platform. As well as contributing a sponsorship fee, Embelex also helped source organisations to design new game kits. Branding the sleeves of the ensembles, the company donated the front spaces to help spread awareness to VERSUS and Stadio.

Helen Hardy, the Founder of the Manchester Laces, added: "Partnering with an organisation that is passionate about the same values as us is a non-negotiable, and the generous investments from Avery Dennison, to support the clubs, both on an operational level and with our new kit design, makes such a difference to an organisation like ours. In these new kits, the sense of togetherness has never felt so strong.”

Since the Manchester Laces inception in 2016 they have accumulated over 300 regular participants, with more eagerly waiting on the side lines. Formed in 2021, South London Laces now has over 80 participants with three weekly training sessions held across London. Both have transformed into fully-fledged clubs, largely due to their inclusive and diverse ideology.