Everton have been praised by alcohol awareness groups for removing the name and logo of their main sponsor, Chang, the Thai beer manufacturer, from their junior shirts for next season.
The club opted to take the unprecedented step after a recommendation by the Portman Group, an organisation that focuses on social responsibility issues surrounding alcohol. The group seeks to ensure that alcoholic beverages are marketed in a controlled way and to an adult audience only.
“As a Premier League football club, we are all too aware of our social responsibility, especially towards our younger supporters, and we are only too pleased to adopt this policy for the new season,” Keith Wyness, the Everton chief executive, said.
David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group, said: “Everton is leading the way by becoming the first English club to remove alcohol branding from all children’s replica sports shirts.”
Everton, meanwhile, have been invited by their Chilean namesakes to play in the Viña del Mar Cup in Chile this winter to help celebrate the club’s centenary year. CD Everton were crowned as Chilean champions last weekend.
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