Mars And The FA Stage Station Pop-up

Mars and The Football Association (FA) have staged a pop-up activation at Victoria Station to mark the latest milestone in the Just Play recreational programme.

Evening commuters were invited to test their penalty-taking skills in a football simulator as part of a campaign designed to encourage more people to rediscover the joy and benefits of playing the game.

More than one million adults have now taken part in recreational sessions through the Just Play initiative, which sits at the heart of Mars’ longstanding partnership with the FA.

The campaign was created in 2011 and has evolved to become one of the biggest and fastest-growing adult football programmes in the country.

It offers casual footballers opportunities to play the game without the need to make a season-long training commitment. The programme encourages men and women of all ages to turn up for an hour of exercise and have some fun at the same time.

Mars and the national governing body for English football first joined forces in 2009 and earlier this year announced a four-year renewal to the deal until 2022. Central to the pair’s motivation was an increased focus on supporting greater diversity and inclusion across all levels of the game.

With this week marking the 36th anniversary of the first ever England women’s international match, England’s current Lioness Fara Williams joined evening commuters in one of London’s busiest stations to challenge them to test their football skills from the penalty spot.

Kelly Simmons, director of the women’s game at The FA, joined Williams at Victoria Station, as well as a number of individuals young and old that have benefited from the FA Mars Just Play programme.

“It’s been a fantastic long-term partnership for the FA,” said Simmons. “They’ve (Mars) helped us deliver an offer that we know meets the needs of thousands across the game.

“I went to the Mars awards last year at St George’s Park and there were some amazing stories within inner city communities, for instance, in walking football, people socially isolated and lonely that came back to football through Just Play. These are fantastic stories that brands should be proud of making happen.

“For a number of years, I was director of development at The FA and increasingly brands wanted to invest in and activate around children’s and grassroots football because they want to connect with communities and deliver value,” Simmons added.

Delighted with the impact of Just Play, Matt Boulter, UK portfolio director at Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK said: “We’re proud to support diversity and inclusion across our brands, and to have the opportunity to work with The FA to push this agenda further within Just Play and encourage even more people across the UK to play football.

“When I joined Mars, we recognised the opportunity for sports partnership, and to now look back, just under ten years on, to have a million people playing again is something that makes us very proud. The partnership has gone from strength to strength.

Boulter added: “We have a very shared agenda with The FA around diversity and inclusivity. When we went through the renewal process in 2018, we realised that the focus of getting people into sport and broadening the diversity and inclusion agenda is critical, so let’s do it for another four years.

“One of the great things about renewing the agreement with the FA was also that shared desire to really get behind the Lionesses. As a team they are an incredibly exciting prospect, ranked third in the world now and they have every opportunity to go on and do well next year at the World Cup in France. We are working on a very exciting partnership, an above the line campaign around that.

“We are incredibly excited about the Women’s game. Women’s football is now coming into our lives more and more, with these ladies becoming household names in the UK. We are delighted that women’s sport is now getting that air time.

Echoing Boulter’s thoughts on the women’s game, Simmons added: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the women’s game. We want people, regardless of gender or ability, to be inspired by the past and potential future success of our England teams and get out on the pitch.”