ASIA-PACIFIC – MARCH 2011 – International beer brand Tiger puts a fresh spin to street football with the launch of the Tiger Street Football competition in Singapore, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management arm. iris Singapore is the creative agency behind the campaign.
With a unique oval, caged pitch, no sidelines and a dynamic, continuous state of play, the game-changing tournament provides a refreshing platform for players to showcase their talent and at the same time, provide non-stop exciting action for spectators in the months of April through to September.
The 182 teams competing in Tiger Street Football will be made up of not just consumer teams of aspiring footballers, but will include some of the world’s best street footballers from top football nations who will pit their skills against the winning consumer teams in matches at the local competitions as well as compete in the Grand Finals. The prestigious line-up includes street football teams from England, Brazil, Spain and Argentina.
The game comes on fast and furious in quick bursts of two six-minute halves with two minutes of half-time. All games are played in a five-a-side format, with a substitute member from each team at the sidelines.
International football star and Tiger’s Football Champion, Wayne Rooney is all praise for the new format, saying, “Street football has been a very big part of my life since I was young, and it has taught me skills that I still use to further my game today. The non-stop play in Tiger Street Football makes it dynamic, fun and all about winning and striving to push yourself further. It is a great inspiration to the fans to aspire to be the best footballer they can be.”
Said Mr Edmond Neo, Director, Group Commercial, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd, “Tiger has always thrived on delivering the best ‘live’ football action to consumers through partnership with Arsenal FC and most recently, having Wayne Rooney as Tiger’s Football Champion. Now, with Tiger Street Football kicking off across Asia, we hope to bring to fans a new and exciting dimension to the Tiger football experience.”
Added Mr Harvey Davis, ESPN STAR Sports Vice President, Event Management, “We are delighted to collaborate with Asia Pacific Breweries to stage this exciting tournament across the region and we are committed to offer our expertise to create an event that brings Tiger Beer’s vibrant brand image alive on-ground and on our networks. This will certainly be a visual treat for football fans and aspiring players with so many prominent teams competing, and we look forward to delivering another marquee event.”
iris has created carnival-themed TV commercials, event and in-bar collaterals, bar design for the event, and bespoke ‘Chill Zones’ featuring beer gardens, where consumers can relax at the events. A series of 30-second ads bring to life challenges of playing football on the street in a humourous, tongue-in-cheek manner.
Tom Ormes, creative director of iris Singapore, said: “We wanted to deliver an integrated regional creative campaign for Tiger Street Football that is different and engages the audiences. Tiger Street Football is not just about big international football, it appeals to the football fan that revels in the fundamental joy of street football. Creatively, we came up with a multi-faceted campaign that holds its own on a world stage – exactly the way Tiger Beer is held in high regard around the world.
The competition will kick off in Singapore on April 16 – 17 before moving regionally to Bangkok, Thailand in May; Guangzhou, China in July; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in August with the culmination of an adrenaline-filled international grand finale in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in September. At the Grand Finals, the top team from each local leg will not only win attractive cash prizes but a chance to fight it out to be the Tiger Street Football Champion and win the coveted top prize of USD30,000.
Throughout the entire competition season through to the Grand Finals, winners will be able to bring home attractive cash prizes totaling about USD80,000 plus Tiger beer.
