The Belgian Hockey Association and Carlsberg stunt during Red Lions game

Friday 20 May 2022 - The Red Lions and Carlsberg (Belgium) join forces in an eye-catching campaign to promote responsible drinking. During last night's Pro League match against the Red Sticks (Spain), the Red Lions entered the pitch at the start of the third quarter wearing very special shirts. The person responsible for printing the player names on the back of the shirts was apparently in an inebriated state at the time of printing... A symbolic call to drink responsibly in the bar during the infamous ‘third half’ after the game.

For example, Red Lions goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch's shirt had 'Vnasach' on it and Tom Boon's shirt mentioned ‘Bono’. If you’d had too much to drink, you might read the player’s names just like that… Vincent Vanasch: "This is a strong message from Carlsberg 0.0 and the Belgian Hockey Association. It’s a call to drink more responsibly. A message that we, with our entire team, are only too happy to spread and support.”

‘The third half’

At the start of the third quarter, the Red Lions entered the field wearing these remarkable shirts. That timing was not a coincidence, because ‘the third half’ is popularly known as the period after the game during which players and supporters celebrate joyfully, often with copious amounts of alcohol. To tackle this problem, the Royal Belgian Hockey Association and Carlsberg join forces to encourage responsible drinking. And here, of course, Carlsberg 0.0 can play an important role. 

 

Where did the idea come from?

Unfortunately, over-consumption of alcohol is a well-known problem in sports clubs, including hockey clubs. The issue has been on the Belgian Hockey Association's agenda for a few years now. In 2018, the ‘Ligue Francophone de Hockey’ (LFH) already initiated the campaign ‘La coupe est pleine’ and in 2019 the Belgian Hockey Association set up a task force on the subject. Unfortunately, the COVID crisis crippled this initiative’s momentum. 

As new partner since September 2021 (and for the coming 4 years), Carlsberg (Belgium) decided to support the Belgian Hockey Association by jointly communicating an impactful message on a more responsible consumption of alcohol. 

 

Julien Galand, Marketing Director for Carlsberg Importers: “We are very proud of our partnership with the Belgian Hockey Association. It was important for us to be involved from the start. First of all, we want to contribute to raising awareness and show that quality alternatives to alcoholic beverages do exist. It is not a moralising message that wants to lecture people, but a call for responsibility.”

 

Vincent Goffin, Head of Sponsoring for KBHB, emphasises: “‘The third half' is important in hockey. It always has been. We are proud of it because 'the third half' contributes to the strong social cohesion in our hockey community. On the other hand, we really want to do something about the increasing abuse of alcohol. Our intention is not to ban 'the third half' and the party that goes with it, or to prohibit the consumption of alcohol. This partnership with Carlsberg (Belgium) allows us to encourage our community to drink alcohol more responsibly and moderately. We are delighted that our partner is willing to join forces with us to tackle this important issue together." 

 

May 20^th, 2022: launch of the 'Responsible Hour' campaign during the Belgium-Spain match

We all know the 'Happy Hour' concept: if you order a beer in a café or bar, you get a second one for free. Last night after the match, Carlsberg organised a more responsible Happy Hour in the Pro League bar: 'Responsible Hour'. Hockey fans were offered a Carlsberg 0.0 for free when they purchased a traditional Carlsberg. It was a low-threshold way to enjoy the non-alcoholic version of their favourite lager and, above all, to enjoy 'the third half' in a more responsible way.

To support the launch of this campaign, the shirts worn by our Red Lions during the Belgium-Spain match on May 20^th will be auctioned via the MatchWornShirts platform. The shirts are already collector's items, and all auction benefits will go to SAVE, the non-profit organisation of Parents of Road Victims, whose mission it is to guide, support and help families who have lost a child in a traffic accident.

The Red Panthers, our national women's team, also support this initiative. Starting with Ambre Ballenghien and Barbara Nelen, who posted a video on their Instagram in which they, like the Red Lions, support the responsible consumption of alcohol.

 

About the Royal Belgian Hockey Association

Belgian hockey has been going strong for over 15 years now, with a 250% increase in memberships since 2007 (54,000 members today). There have been Olympic, World and European championship titles for the Red Lions, and a 7th place in the world rankings and a European bronze medal for the Red Panthers. Our national youth teams and the clubs in the EuroHockey League also get very good results. Belgium has been awarded the organisation of major international hockey events, while there is also an exponentially growing media and public interest. These are just a few aspects of an amazing success story. More information on www.hockey.be.

 

About Carlsberg Importers: 

Carlsberg Importers is a family business that imports the beer brands Carlsberg (www.carlsberg.be), Tuborg and Somersby for the Benelux. In addition, the company has developed its own brands, such as St Hubertus abbey beer, Bionina and TAO, in the fast-growing functional drinks segment (see also https://www.myhealthychoice.be/).

 

About the Carlsberg Group: 

The Carlsberg Group is one of the world's largest brewing groups, with a broad portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. The flagship - Carlsberg - is one of the world's best-known beer brands, and the Baltika, Carlsberg and Tuborg brands are among the top eight brands in Europe. The Carlsberg group employs around 40,000 people and its products are sold in more than 150 markets. Read more at www.carlsberggroup.com.

 

Press contacts

• For Carlsberg-Importers
  • Julien Galand (FR/NL) - Galand.Julien@carlsberg-importers.com 
    - 0498 /58 62 18
• For the Royal Belgian Hockey Association (KBHB/ARBH) 
  • Denis Van Damme - Head of communication - denis.vandamme@hockey.be 
    - 0497 /82 33 86  

• For Happiness (creative agency - ‘Responsible Hour’ campaign)
  • Pascal Kemajou (FR /NL) - pascal@happiness-brussels.com 
    - 0475 /36 79 26