NEWS
16 November 2020
Kindred extends Team Talk partnership with Derby County
By Iqbal Johal

Through its 32Red brand, the operator will continue to reinforce Derby County’s Community Trust initiative, which provides men with mental health issues or worries a safe place to talk, for at least another year.

The extended partnership will include a research project in collaboration with the University of Derby, which will examine the effectiveness of Team Talk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lead by Professor David Best, a variety of interviews and surveys will be conduced with Team Talk participants, with a report of the findings of the research to be presented at the end of 2021.

Kindred Group UK general manager Neil Banbury, said: “The renewed investment means Derby County Community Trust can continue some of the fantastic work and results we saw from the first year of our partnership.

“To be able to work in partnership with University of Derby to develop a robust research and evaluation project that assesses the impact of the programme on individual and community well-being will be very interesting.”

32Red is currently the main shirt sponsor of Derby County and was at the centre of controversy in August 2019, after it was agreed England record goalscorer Wayne Rooney would wear the number 32 shirt upon joining the Championship club.

However, the operator has since announced several responsible gambling commitments, including its Stay in Control campaign aimed to promote healthier gambling, and wants to change the way gambling operators sponsor sport in the UK.