Hibs Sponsored By VPZ
Hibernian Football Club has announced a partnership with Edinburgh-based vaping specialist VPZ but some aren’t happy
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by Dave Cross
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Last week, Hibs announced: “Hibernian FC have agreed a partnership with Edinburgh-based vaping specialist VPZ. Born in Leith in 2012 and recently ranked as Scotland’s fastest growing company, VPZ is now our official vaping partner. The partnership has been announced as mounting evidence shows that vaping could become a key weapon in the NHS’s stop smoking strategy.”
“Public Health England estimates that vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. Latest figures also show that approximately two million people in the UK have already quit smoking by switching to vaping, with 500,000 more presently trying to switch.”
Doug Mutter, director at VPZ, said: “As a business that was born in Leith, we are very excited to be launching our partnership with Hibernian Football Club. Vaping represents a huge public health opportunity and our goal will be to engage with fans to help them make the switch and quit smoking for good.”
“Consumer education is crucial too and we will also be investing heavily in our people strategy to ensure our teams are equipped to help smokers understand the evidence based public health opportunity of vaping products so that their positive impact can be maximised.”
The club might be a favourite of Scottish music duo The Proclaimers, but it isn’t finding favour with Sheila Duffy, the chief executive of campaign group ASH Scotland.
“Some smokers find e-cigarettes helpful in quitting cigarettes completely but these products are not risk-free. There's still a lot we don't know about them and they are definitely not products for children, or that should be promoted around children," Duffy said.
Given the strong support for vaping from ASH UK, the continued opposition to vaping colours ASH Scotland in a very poor light. Hibs already partners with Eden Mill, an alcohol company, and the Marathonbet betting firm.
Hibs’ commercial manager Michael Pentland said: “We are delighted to partner with VPZ, who have intrinsic links within the local Leith area as well as being a national brand.”
POTV welcomes moving vaping into the spotlight to help combat tobacco-related deaths and diseases. This isn’t the first time ecig companies have joined forces with football clubs.
- 2012: Burnley FC joins forces with Totally Wicked
- 2013: Non-league Merthyr Town's 106-year-old Penydarren Park will become the Cigg-e Stadium
- 2013: Celtic link up with E-Lites
- 2013: Derby County sponsorship deal with E-Lites
- 2013: BMA writes to clubs demanding they end partnerships with vape companies
- 2015: Carmarthen Town Football Club’s ground renamed to The Vibrant Vapours Stadium
- 2018: Rangers launch range of “Ibrox-flavoured” eliquids in conjunction with VPZ, including Simply The Zest, Tobacco The Net and Peach Of A Goal
- 2018: Blackburn Rovers launches a branded vape range
Resources:
- “The 'Cigg-E' stadium” - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-23779140
- “Celtic under fire” - https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13121583.celtic-under-fire-for-agreeing-deal-on-electronic-cigarettes/
- Rangers eliquids - https://bit.ly/2IzxXqF
- Blackburn FC’s branded Totally Wicked kit - https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2018/november/rovers-e-cig-is-totally-wicked/
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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