Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I (SBF GB&I), the makers of iconic British drinks brands Lucozade and Ribena, has announced that its employees will be allowed to take the day off on Monday. Regardless of the result of Sunday’s match, the company wants its employees to take it as a day of celebration for the England women’s team.

Its Lucozade Sport brand is the official hydration partner of all England football teams and has been since 2006. The brand recently launched its new Football is Football campaign to promote equality within the game and initiate change among players and supporters. As part of the campaign, Lucozade Sport redrew the lines of football pitches in Manchester with it’s Football is Football manifesto to show how the boundaries of the game are being rewritten every time a woman steps onto a pitch.

SBF GB&I offered its employees the day off following the men’s final last summer and in spirit of its Football is Football campaign, has followed through with the same promise this year. This is one of a number of ‘Reconnect Days’ gifted to employees by the soft drinks company in the past year to allow them to take time to reconnect with themselves, friends and families after the challenges of the pandemic.

An England final is an England final, regardless of who’s playing. We’ve been behind the team all the way and no matter the outcome of Sunday’s match we want our employees to have the chance to celebrate this achievement. Inclusivity is so important to our business, and our brand, so we hope our campaign encourages a conversation about making the nation’s most played sport as accessible as it can be for players from all walks of life.

Hannah Norbury, Marketing Director at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I

Contributing positive change in society is one of SBF GB&I’s key values and the business has several partnerships with charities, local institutions and volunteer organisations to help empower local communities. This summer Lucozade Sport announced a new partnership with Football Beyond Borders, an education and social inclusion charity using the power of football to change the lives of young people and a key player in the brand’s Football is Football campaign.