The first round of the 2023/24 EFL Trophy campaign was a scintillating fixture for Stockport County as they faced the Manchester United U21s in a thrilling northwest derby. As a northwest based insurance broker and long-time supporter and sponsor of County, we took a keen interest in the match.
United went ahead in the second half but County never stopped searching for an equaliser which came in the 13th minute of injury time in the form of a penalty, taking the match to a penalty shootout.
Unfortunately, County eventually lost 3-5 on penalties, but it was a spectacular game to watch and was covered, live, by ESPN. Commiserations to County but they put on a great performance and don’t be misled by the U21 nature of their opponents. This was still Manchester United and many of the County players are of a similar age.
With our goal-side perimeter advertising, live coverage of sporting events such as this is fantastic exposure for the C&C brand – but it’s not just the real-time coverage that benefits us. Syndicated footage is shared and broadcast by other media outlets and through various social media channels.
One such channel is Manchester United’s own Instagram account with 62.7 million followers! Now we’re not suddenly expecting 62.7 million phone calls with enquiries. But coverage of the penalties with our brand in clear view, along with coverage gained through our sponsorships of Lancashire Cricket, Sales Sharks and Manchester Thunder Netball (all of which are covered by SKY), all help build credibility and awareness of the C&C name as a northwest based and UK-wide, insurance broker.
We’re looking forward to following County throughout the season and as a football project that’s growing and capturing the media eye, we can be confident of ever-increasing levels of media exposure. Not least when we welcome Ryan Renyolds’ Wrexham to Edgeley Park on 23rd September. There won’t be an empty seat in the house and local, regional and national media will be there to capture it!
