The beautiful game, it seems, is in the blood of most Brazilians, but Vitoria FC has launched a new campaign to see if its fans are willing to give their red stuff away.
The Serie B team, founded in 1899 in the north east of the country, has linked with the Brazilian Health Ministry and the local Salvador medical community on a blood donation campaign that revolves around the team’s iconic red and black hooped shirt.
The campaign is called ‘My Blood is Red and Black’ and revolves around the club’s classic shirt.
The side has temporarily removed the red from their kit to focus fan attention on the importance of blood donation and ‘doing something amazing’. The red has been swapped for white stripes and the club plans to change back one red hoop according to the success of the campaign.
Thus, once they have encouraged sufficient numbers of supporters to donate blood, the shirt will be restored to its classic colours.
The campaign began with the shirt change and was launched at a recent match which saw the team carry a flag out on to the pitch proclaiming ‘Vitoria has always given its blood for you. It’s time for you to give yours. Join the campaign for blood donation that will bring the colours of the uniform Victoria back.’
Fans are encouraged to visit the team’s Facebook page at http://www.meusanguerubronegro.com.br to find all the details as to how to participate and donate.
To further boost the campaign message the club has created a supporting web film hosted on the team’s site and seeded across the internet. The video includes a link to a Facebook page .
‘We wanted to do more than just ask fans to give blood,’ explains club president Alexi Portela. ‘With this initiative, fans of the red and black can participate more actively in the campaign and they will see the importance of a gesture like this that can help save countless lives.’
The initiative follows a nation-wide drive to encourage people in Brazil to donate blood for transfusions. Blood donations fall as much as 25% during school holidays, so like football, donations tend to stop in July. This programme aims to reverse that trend.
Other clubs are also joining the initiative. In June Sao Paulo, one of Brazil’s biggest clubs, put the slogan “Give Blood” on its shirts for a game in another attempt to help raise awareness of the importance of blood donations.
Furthermore, the percentage of blood donors in Brazil is currently only at 2%. The World Health Organisation recommends the number should be 3%.
Comment:
It might seem like a simple action, but with the magnitude of football fans in Brazil, the campaign has the potential to reach far and wide. In fact, it has already started to make waves internationally, something which has no doubt exceeded the team’s expectations.
Footballers and football clubs are often criticised for their behaviour and financial management, but such initiatives can certainly help combat the clichés and negativity that can surround the game. So it is good for the game itself, as well as for the cause.
It follows on from previous shirt-led CSR initiatives. These included Barcelona’s five-year initiative which saw it pay UNICEF to wear the organisation’s logo on its shirt (which was replaced by last year’s £125m commercial deal with the education-focused Qatar Foundation), Aston Villa’s former shirt deal with local children’s hospice Acorns and Vasco Da Gama’s anti-racist shirt initiative with kit brand Penalty.
Many football fans across the world claim to bleed the club’s colours, the supporters of this one club now have the chance to prove it.
Vitoria are one of the favourites to achieve promotion this season and perhaps the blood campaign will boost its chances. In their first red-less shirt match they beat Avai 2-0.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qYE_l0ju-ss
http://www.meusanguerubronegro.com.br
www.ecvitoria.com.br
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