National Pub Football Week: are you ready?

Football fever is just over a month away. Are you ready?

It's the final countdown. Every featured match in this year's National Pub Football Week is a "decider" of some sort, with glory, silverware and league promotions at stake.

But just how many people realise that seven of the season's most crucial matches happen one on top of the other over a period of seven days? And how many have those dates in the diary? Probably not many, but there's still time to change all that.

With six weeks to go until National Pub Football Week (May 22 to 31), there's plenty of time to prepare, tempt and gently persuade your customers.

Tell them about the prizes, giveaways and promotions happening during the week. Top prize has to be Pepsi's offer of an all-expenses-paid weekend trip for two to the Real Madrid training camp, rubbing shoulders with the likes of David Beckham and Roberto Carlos. Pepsi was particularly keen to be involved this time around as soft drinks sales rocketed during last year's National Pub Football Week, which concentrated on the Euro 2004 qualifiers.

There are also thousands of retro football shirts, T-shirts, baseball caps and other treats from major brands including Holsten, Carling, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Strongbow, Pepsi, Stella Artois, Tennent's Lager, WKD, Guinness, John Smith's and Coke.

There's been a spate of media interest in recent weeks in the idea that pubs are losing customers as people drink more at home.

But when it comes to football, the atmosphere tips the balance in favour of the pub. National Pub Football Week can only build the crowd for pubs and heighten interest in the matches.

Within the National Pub Football Week awareness kit, there's an eye-catching banner to let everyone know they can watch live matches in your outlet, which could be kept up for the Euro 2004 Championships, which start on June 12.

All kits contain posters and point-of-sale material featuring match schedules (see below). There are also 1.5 million beer-mats with fun football questions to be distributed with the kits, along with collector cards to encourage repeat visits from customers.

Four pub companies are spearheading the event and up to 18,000 pubs will be involved.

David Bremner of Punch said: "The first ever National Pub Football Week last year was a huge success - beer sales went up 10 per cent compared to pubs not running the event. That's amazing, given the high volumes of beer normally sold in pubs.

"This year we've had a lot longer to organise it and we've learned some lessons from last time. So it will be much easier for more pubs to become involved."

Pubs belonging to Punch, Enterprise, InnSpired or Unique can order the branded kits via the info pack they'll receive.

David added: "This is the first time these companies have seriously had the opportunity to get behind the FA Cup and Play-Off Finals. Pubs will make a lot of money out of this, and the evidence shows that pubs which put on special events during the week tend to make even more."

For outlets not belonging to these pub groups, special PoS kits are available to order via www.nationalpubweek.co.uk while stocks last.

Just like last year, famous faces from the world of sport are lining up to back the event. Terry Venables heads the cast and will officially launch National Pub Football Week on May 19. Following the first National Pub Football Week, a survey of licensees revealed that:

• 95 per cent of pubs said they wanted to run it again
• 92 per cent said the free promotional kits were of very good quality
• 71 per cent said the branded kits added to the atmosphere in the pub
• almost half said additional trade generated in National Pub Football Week 2003 had been sustained beyond the event.

The last statistic here may be the most important - the whole point of National Pub Football Week is to bring people back to the pub on a regular basis instead of sitting at home on their own.

Ten tips for success​

• Start early - promote the event during all football matches between now and the event, especially key Nationwide League games
• Make sure you have all the kits you want - every one you order will make you money if used in the right way, but focus on brands you want to promote and prizes you think your customers will really want to win
• If any of the teams involved is local to you, link all your publicity material to that team - along the lines of "Come and support Millwall during National Pub Football Week"
• Keep updating your chalkboard with details of the next match, and promote the England friendlies on June 1 and 5. It's all about repeat sales
• Remember football isn't all about beer - soft drink sales rocketed during last year's event, and the prizes offered by Coke and Pepsi are fantastic
• Think food - football food is finger food, but curries are also extremely popular with fans
• Place plates and bowls of free snacks around the bar
• Cut the half-time rush (part one): Consider installing a plasma screen behind the bar
• Cut the half-time rush (part two): Consider table service
• Cut the half-time rush (part three): sell beer by the jug, wine by the bottle and cocktails by the pitcher.

Case Study: The Jovial Foresters, Nailsworth​

Beckham, Figo, Ronaldo - three of the biggest names in football - have turned the Jovial Foresters in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, into a shrine of the football world. InnSpired licensee Michael Stansfield's collection is the envy of many in the trade. The Ronaldo shirt was won in a prize draw organised by National Pub Football Week and takes pride of place alongside those of his Real Madrid team-mates David Beckham and Luis Figo.

This year Michael is planning a few special promotions and wants food to be a central theme of the week.

He said: "We'll be showing all the matches during the week and we'll be running a penalty shoot-out in the garden. We'll be giving away prizes along the lines of a meal for two to the winners."

Michael noticed an uplift in food sales during last year's National Pub Football Week and has since introduced a nightly curry offer at £3.99.

"This has really taken off," Michael said. "We're the only people in the area doing it and you can't beat the price. I expect curry to be really popular during the football and it soaks up a lot of the beer, which can only be a good thing."

Speaking of his customers, he added: "They enjoyed National Pub Football Week last time when it was the Euro 2004 qualifiers and they'll love it this time with all the play-offs."

And if fate has anything to do with it, there's every chance a customer at the Jovial Foresters will win a trip to Real Madrid and meet the players who once wore those shirts.