SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Following its ‘socially distanced title-party’ and March’s attempt at becoming a Cheltenham Festival jockey, Paddy Power has recast Peter Crouch to deliver its vital message that a ‘new normal means same old football’.
Continuing to work alongside ‘Crouchy’, Paddy Power wishes to ease Premier League fans’ nerves ahead of a season of visible changes and adjustments away from the terraces.
From the comfort of his home and accompanied by his wife Abbey Clancy, Crouch addressed various elements of football’s ‘new normal’, including fake crowd noise, social distancing within stadiums and ‘sanitised balls’.
Soothing nerves, Crouch, the former England striker-turned-podcaster, observed that the ‘Emirates will never sound so good’ as a result of fake crowd noise, whilst there may be a risk of penalties being handed out to large groups – ‘and ‘Manchester United, obviously’.
Michelle Spillane, Paddy Power’s Marketing Director, said: “Many things have changed in the new normal, but football remains the same old game that we love.
“We wanted to channel the excitement around the new season, while injecting a sense of optimism around the new elements of football – all while leaning on the light-hearted nature of fandom.
“Peter Crouch is the perfect frontman for this, embracing football as it is now, and giving a new season rallying cry as the Premier League returns fully this weekend.”
