Kindred Group inks two-year Vanarama National League partnership

Kindred Group has agreed a two-year official betting partnership with the Vanarama National League covering both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. As part of the agreement, Kindred brands Unibet and 32Red will feature across the competition’s digital channels, stadium advertising and in matchday programmes. Unibet and 32Red will become the league’s official betting partners. 32Red currently serves as kit sponsor for Scottish champions Rangers FC as well as EFL sides Derby County AFC and Middlesbrough FC, with Unibet the official betting partner for Derby and Middlesbrough. Vanarama National League general manager Mark Ives said he was “thrilled” to have Kindred Group as the league’s new betting partner, partly due to the impact of partnership income on league revenue, which had been severely reduced throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are excited to be working with an organisation who want to prioritise fan and community projects and gambling awareness, which is absolutely perfect timing, as we welcome back supporters in greater numbers than we have been able to over the last 18-or-so months,” Ives said. “That period has been extremely challenging for us all and so we are very welcoming of this partnership for at least the next two years,” he added. Kindred Group UK general manager Neil Banbury hailed the agreement as a hugely important day for the Stockholm-listed operator. “Simply, non-league football is the lifeblood of our national sport,” Banbury explained. “The elite level can only exist if the base of the pyramid thrives – and we hope that our investment will help to support that. At the heart of this are the supporters, of course, with their unwavering loyalty. “The last year-and-a-half has shown us how vital they are to the clubs and to their communities. That is why we’ll be making sure that supporters see and feel a benefit from our sponsorship of their league. “More broadly, Kindred remains committed to reinventing the sports sponsorship model – because we want a model that benefits the wider community,” Banbury added.