Kindred’s long-term ambition is to equip the communities in which we operate with the knowledge and resources to build a better future. We believe in being an active participant in our local communities and we are committed to contributing to our communities. One way we do is by sharing our experience and knowledge. We are always identifying new partnerships and projects where we can add value by sharing knowledge. In 2019, we have entered 8 new partnerships and projects that all contribute to our local communities and we remain committed to give back through active sports sponsorships and other partnerships.
Timo Mastelinck, Global Head of Sponsorships describes one of these projects;
Collaborating to make a difference
In 2019, we kicked of a project in collaboration with the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Football Federation. As a partner of this Pro League, we identified a need for educating professional football players on responsible gambling, to better understand the potential dangers of problematic gambling. At Kindred we believe that only by working together across the industry we can truly make a difference and move towards an industry that offers customers true entertainment. Therefore, we quickly realised that the best partner to deliver this training would be EPIC Risk Management, as we already work closely with them on other projects. EPIC offer bespoke educational speakers to deliver awareness presentations on problem gambling. For this programme, a former professional football player and reformed problem gambler delivers a presentation on his experiences to create awareness on how to spot early signs of problem gambling.
Inform and educate players to make informed decisions
Paul Buck, CEO at EPIC Risk Management describes the importance of the project;
“EPIC were delighted to work alongside the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Football Federation / UEFA to provide an innovative programme into helping to educate players. Evidence suggests that elite sportsmen are at a greater risk of suffering from gambling problems and high impact education will help them make better informed decisions around gambling and more chance of fulfilling their potential and careers.”
Paul attended the Sustainable Gambling Conference in Copenhagen in October 2019, where he presented the work of EPIC as well as more details of this project. If you want to learn more his presentation is available here.
The programme will be delivered to 24 football clubs across Belgium during 2019/2020 and the ambition is to deliver this training on an annual basis. Initial feedback from the first clubs who have received the training is very positive.
