The English Football League (EFL) has announced its new EFL Trophy official title sponsor as the pizza restaurant franchise Papa John’s.
The competition, which was previously referred to as the Leasing.com Trophy, will be rebranded as the ‘Papa John’s Trophy’ until at least the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
The group stages will begin on 10 November and the final will be staged at Wembley on 14 March.
“We’re very excited to be named title sponsors of the EFL Trophy,” said Giles Codd, Papa John’s UK Marketing Director. “It’s a real honour to be able to support EFL clubs in what is undoubtedly a tough time for everyone involved.
“It’s always been our goal to serve the best ingredients for the most memorable occasions so we’re incredibly proud to be supporting such a great football competition.”
The company has over 450 branches, a number of which are in close proximity to football grounds, and will also become the official pizza of the EFL.
EFL Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Wright, concurred: “The EFL is delighted to welcome Papa John’s as title sponsor of the EFL Trophy and a new addition to the League’s portfolio of partners.
“As we continue to navigate through the challenging times that the coronavirus pandemic presents, it is testament to the growing appeal of the EFL that we are able to attract new partners and invest the sponsorship fee into the competition through payments to Clubs, which is important during this difficult period.
“We look forward to working with Papa John’s over the next three years to build on the success of the competition and create Papa John’s Trophy moments for us all to celebrate.”
Insider Insight: A new sponsor may give the competition, which has been boycotted for some years, a new lease of life. Although, we’ll be slightly disappointed if they don’t replace the champagne celebrations with boxes of meat feasts during the trophy lift at the final!
