German discount chain Lidl "has been appointed official supermarket of the England football team," according to Sarah Butler of the London GUARDIAN. From Tuesday, the Neckarsulm-based grocer "will be the official supplier of water, fish, fruit and vegetables for Roy Hodgson’s boys under a multimillion-pound three-year deal" with the FA. It "will also be official supplier of fish, fruit and vegetables for Scotland and Wales after signing similar deals with their equivalent footballing bodies." The deal "also covers support for grassroots football" including the provision of 1.5 million sessions of professional coaching for children in England, Wales and Scotland. Tesco "signed a similar deal with the FA to be official supermarket of the England team before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, later saying this had helped sales of television sets" (GUARDIAN, 11/16). REUTERS' James Davey wrote the investment by Lidl comes after Aldi signed up earlier this year to be "official" grocer of the British Olympics Team for next year's Rio Olympics. British supermarket Sainsbury's "sponsored the London Paralympics in 2012 and upmarket chain Waitrose sponsors the English cricket team" (REUTERS, 11/16).
