Budweiser, the Official Beer of The Emirates FA Cup, made good on its promise to recognise the loyalty and commitment of the fans which delivered the biggest upset in the Third Round of the tournament by giving Plymouth Argyle football fans thousands of free beers in recognition of their team’s feat in securing a draw at Liverpool FC’s home ground, Anfield and the fans’ own dedication – many of them made a 580 mile round trip to cheer their team on.
Budweiser had announced on Thursday January 5th that it would reward the fans of the team, who, against all odds, had an underdog victory or put up the biggest fight in their Third Round match. The beers were to be delivered by FA Cup winner David James.
As a result, David James and Budweiser’s dedicated team were ready with a helicopter to take off from London’s Biggin Hill Airport following the weekend’s football games. The celebratory load of Budweiser was delivered to Plymouth for the supporters to collect on Sunday at Plymouth Argyle’s home ground. More than 10,000 beers were handed out for fans to share around at home.
David James says “The Emirates FA Cup Third Round is one of the most exciting moments of the competition – as anything can happen! And it did this weekend, with Plymouth Argyle doing the incredible and drawing with Liverpool F.C. A real David and Goliath battle. True fans were there to support their team throughout and this activity is a great celebration of this dedication. Plymouth Argyle, this Bud’s for you!”
Steph Okell, Marketing Manager, Budweiser UK, says “We wanted to recognise Plymouth Argyle’s incredible accomplishment at drawing with Liverpool F.C. in the Third Round, and their fans unwavering dedication is an event to remember. When the underdog puts up an extraordinary fight, this is the beer we’ll drink!”
This is not the first time Budweiser has given away free beer to celebrate the success of an underdog team. After the Wales team qualified for the semi-finals of the Euro 2016 football tournament in July 2016, Budweiser offered every adult resident of Wales of legal drinking age a free can of Bud. Consumers could get a voucher from a range of local Welsh newspapers or register for the offer online and download a digital voucher. Vouchers were redeemable at Tesco, One Stop and Co-op stores.
Budweiser is distributed and marketed in the UK by AB InBev UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev’s UK portfolio of brands includes global brands Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois as well as regional brands Beck’s, Leffe and Hoegaarden and UK brands Bass and Boddingtons.
