POS, Trinidad, Thursday April 12, 2018 – Last August, NESTLÉ MILO® through its partnership with FC Barcelona (FCB) took three (3) footballers on an all-expenses-paid trip of a lifetime. Addae Pamponette (11 y/o), Dantaye Gilbert (12 y/o) and Tau Lamsee (10 y/o) visited Spain, trained at the FC Barcelona (FCB) Soccer School, toured the city and participated in a host of other special activities planned for them and 93 other children from across the world. This year, the Good Food, Good Life company will give five skilled players, ages seven to 12, a similar opportunity as winners of the second MILO® Football Skills Tournament. The announcement was made at the tournament launch on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel, Port of Spain.
In 2017, NESTLÉ and FC Barcelona signed a four-year global partnership based on a shared vision to positively impact the lives of 22 million youngsters during their foundation years (seven to 12). The partnership will promote healthier lifestyles in children through physical activity and will see the brands conduct a series of initiatives across Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America. According to Mr. Patricio Torres, Head of Market of the company’s Anglo-Dutch Caribbean region, the partnership is “in complete alignment with NESTLÉ’s global goal to help 50 million children live healthier lifestyles by the year 2030.”
Robin Cumberbatch, Business Executive Officer NESTLÉ Anglo-Dutch Caribbean, went further to highlight that “in a time where budgets are cut and businesses are forced to close doors, NESTLÉ has implemented measures to see to it that 5 children, instead of 3 from Trinidad and Tobago will receive the opportunity of a lifetime;” a reference to the grand prize of the MILO® Football Skills Tournament. He went on to state “…even in a difficult economic climate, MILO® will continue to support our youth.”
The MILO® Football Skills Tournament takes place in May and June. Competence in five skillsets will be tested by the Football Factory Foundation - passing, dribbling, composure, running and control. The competition will begin at the Mt. Pleasant Grounds in Tobago on May 19th where one winner in the seven to 12 age group will be selected. From there, the tournament heads to the Hasely Crawford Stadium on May 26th for trial two with the final trial at the Ato Boldon Stadium. From trials two and three, four winners will emerge; one each in the seven to nine age group, and likewise in the 10 to 12 age group.
Over 400 children registered and participated in last year’s tournament and the company hopes to see a marked increase in this number for 2018. Registration for the MILO® Football Skills Tournament will soon be open online at www.nestle.tt/milofootball. As part of the process, a 400-gram MILO® pack must be purchased which, like last year, will be collected on entry at each tournament trial and donated to less fortunate homes within communities across T&T. NourishTT will coordinate donation of the MILO® packs.
In October, the group of five from T&T plus two youngsters from Guyana and Barbados will travel to Barcelona for a 2-day clinic with FCB coaches and a number of other fun football-related activities. The MILO® Football Skills Tournament is just one of the many activities planned by the brand in Trinidad and Tobago to advance the partnership’s global mission. To contribute to improvement of the lives of 22 million youth, MILO® TT will offer another chance to visit Spain to one lucky child in July 2018 for travel in November through its “enter to win” promotion and will also execute other activities throughout the year. Stay tuned to the MILO® Caribbean Facebook page for more.
About NESTLÉ
NESTLÉ is the world's leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company. Its mission is to provide consumers with the best tasting, most nutritious choices in a wide range of food and beverage categories and eating occasions, from morning to night.
About the MILO® Football Skills Tournament
On Monday November 21st, 2016, FC Barcelona and NESTLÉ MILO® officially announced their new 4-year sponsorship deal - the first agreement of its kind for NESTLÉ with a sports club. The announcement was made at FC Barcelona’s Training Grounds, Camp Nou. As part of the partnership, Barça and NESTLÉ, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in the same year (2016), will join forces to promote the importance of education, nutrition and sport. Through the partnership, these two well-known brands will conduct a series of initiatives across Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America, impacting the lives of over 22 million youngsters in their formative years (seven to 12). In Trinidad and Tobago, one of the activities the Good Food, Good Life company has undertaken to advance this goal is the MILO® Football Skills Tournament. The tournament was introduced in 2017 and afforded three skilled footballers from T&T the opportunity to visit Spain, train at a football clinic with FC Barcelona coaches, plus many more fun activities. In 2018, the company will award five kids a similar opportunity. The five, along with two winners from NESTLÉ’s Barbados and Guyana markets will travel to Barcelona Spain in October.