The partnership between Deliveroo and the English Football Association (FA), established in September 2019, has created a series of promotional opportunities for UK consumers. As part of this multi-year agreement, Deliveroo, an online food delivery platform (OFDP), serves as the first sleeve sponsor for England’s senior men’s and women’s sides and supports the Emirates FA Cup. This collaboration has led to specific matchday offers and freebies designed to engage consumers during FA Cup fixtures and England matches. The following article details the types of freebies and promotions available, the eligibility requirements, and the context of this sponsorship within the broader landscape of food and sport.
The Deliveroo and FA Partnership Structure
Deliveroo’s partnership with the FA is a significant commercial agreement that aligns the food delivery brand with England’s national team and the premier domestic cup competition. The deal, which began in September 2019, includes Deliveroo’s logo on the training kit of all senior men’s and women’s teams. Additionally, Deliveroo features on digital advertising hoardings at matches and in media and press briefing areas for the Emirates FA Cup. This visibility is designed to increase brand awareness and support the distribution of Deliveroo’s restaurant partners, particularly in towns and cities outside London and major English cities.
The partnership was initiated after Deliveroo sought a major UK football property to mirror its ambitions of growing its network of restaurant partners and engaging with local communities. The FA demonstrated that a partnership with both the national team and the FA Cup would help Deliveroo capture a national audience while enabling local-level engagement. The collaboration has been well-received by the FA’s coaching team, players, and partnership team, with a TV advertisement aired in January 2020 featuring players from both the England Men’s and Women’s teams.
FA Cup Freebies and Matchday Promotions
Specific freebies and promotional offers have been activated as part of Deliveroo’s FA Cup sponsorship. These promotions are typically tied to specific matchdays or rounds of the competition.
In December and during the FA Cup third round ties in January, Deliveroo offered customers the chance to win a free personalised football kit. This offer was conditional on ordering a Coca-Cola product through the Deliveroo platform on specific matchdays. Furthermore, during this period, participating restaurants displaying the “Emirates FA Cup Freebies” tag offered customers either a free starter, side dish, or dessert with qualifying orders. A specific example cited was Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which offered a selection of free milkshakes ranging from 624 to 912 kcal per drink as part of this deal. Public Health England guidelines suggest that 600 kcal or less is recommended for main lunch and dinner meals to maintain a healthy body weight, providing context for the calorie content of these free items.
Another significant promotion was the FA Cup trophy tour coordinated by Deliveroo in January. Customers were invited to vote for their favourite restaurants as part of this initiative. Winning consumers received £500 Deliveroo credit and FA Cup Final tickets, while winning restaurants hosted the trophy for an afternoon.
These promotions are activated in and around live coverage of England matches and FA Cup ties, leveraging significant TV audiences of over 5 million on terrestrial television and the growing popularity of second-screen viewing.
Eligibility and Participation Rules
Participation in Deliveroo’s FA Cup freebies is generally tied to specific conditions. For instance, the free personalised football kit required ordering a Coca-Cola product on designated matchdays. The free starter, side, or dessert offer required ordering from a restaurant displaying the specific “Emantis FA Cup Freebies” tag and likely involved a qualifying order value or item, though the exact terms are not detailed in the source material.
The FA Cup trophy tour promotion required customers to vote for their favourite restaurants, with winners selected based on this engagement. The £500 credit and Final tickets were awarded to winning consumers, while restaurants that won the hosting opportunity did so through a separate selection process.
It is important to note that these offers are part of Deliveroo’s broader activation of the FA Cup partnership and are not necessarily ongoing, free sample programmes in the traditional sense. They are promotional freebies tied to specific events and timeframes.
Context: Food Delivery Platforms and Sport Sponsorship
Deliveroo’s FA Cup sponsorship exists within a wider trend of online food delivery platforms (OFDPs) increasingly sponsoring sporting events. This shift is partly driven by changing food landscapes and public health concerns, which have made traditional junk food companies like McDonald’s and KFC less palatable partners for sports organisations due to their links with childhood obesity. For example, McDonald’s terminated its reported £40-million-a-year deal with the International Olympic Committee in 2017 and is not included in the 2020 UEFA European Championships sponsorship portfolio, suggesting sustained pressure from public health advocates and the general public has dissuaded such relationships.
Other examples of food delivery services associating with sport include: - Uber Eats, which sponsored the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia with a campaign featuring former international footballers. - French champions Paris Saint Germain being sponsored by Deliveroo, with a launch video featuring senior players ordering food via the app. - Deliveroo teaming up with Puma to provide free, Deliveroo-sponsored football kits to thousands of grassroots football clubs in the UK. - Takeaway.com (which took over Just Eat in the UK) being named the ‘Official Food Delivery Platform Partner’ for UEFA EURO 2020, replacing McDonald’s as the previous ‘Official Restaurant Partner’. - Deliveroo piggy-backing on other sports tournaments without official affiliation, such as a special Champions League Final offer in May 2019 with Pepsi Max, a UEFA Champions League sponsor.
Conclusion
The freebies and promotions associated with Deliveroo’s FA Cup sponsorship are event-specific and tied to matchdays or particular rounds of the competition. These include opportunities to win personalised football kits by ordering Coca-Cola products, receive free starters, sides, or desserts from tagged restaurants, and participate in trophy tours with prizes of Deliveroo credit and FA Cup Final tickets. Participation requires engaging with the Deliveroo platform during specific promotional periods and meeting conditional requirements. This partnership is part of a broader movement where online food delivery platforms are replacing traditional junk food sponsors in sports, driven by evolving consumer preferences and public health considerations.