In celebration of International Women's Day, Charlton Athletic Women is delighted to announce a collaboration brew with Meantime Brewery. The collaboration, aptly named 'About Time', aims to raise awareness and funds for women’s football initiatives in the local community.
Meantime launched the partnership today with the help of with the help of Charlton co-captain Kate Longhurst and fellow midfielder Carla Humphrey. The pair took a break from mid-season training to talk about their experiences getting into football and why it’s About Time for the whole community to get behind the women’s game. They also supervised Chris Baker from the Community Trust taking delivery of the first kegs of About Time, ready to be served at The Valley for the first game post beer launch on March 9th. The beer will be on sale for the rest of the season and will also be available for the women's games on March 24th, March 31st and April 28th.
Every pint of About Time beer sold in The Valley or in pubs across London will donate 25p directly to the Charlton Athletic Community Trust. The money raised will fund a range of projects providing a pathway for women of all ages to play football in a safe and controlled environment. The Trust supports women in football from early-stage development, such as the Premier League Kicks programme, right up to those moving into a professional career in sport.
Charlton Athletic Women’s General Manager Louise McGing said: “As someone who has worked in women’s football for a number of years, it's great to see the game go from strength to strength with more and more companies looking to play their part in the growth of the game.
"It’s an exciting time at Charlton, as we chase promotion to the Women’s Super League and we’re really pleased to mark International Women’s Day with a fantastic collaboration like this which will raise both awareness and practical support for women’s football.”
Zoe Edwards, Operations Manager at Meantime Brewing Co, expressed her pride in the partnership, stating: "We’re really happy to have the opportunity to work with the Charlton team to fundraise for local women’s football. We’re committed to gender equity in everything we do year-round, not just on International Women’s Day. But it’s a great opportunity to focus our efforts and make a tangible difference, so buy a pint, donate to the campaign and raise a glass to progress and equality.”
Charlton Athletic Community Trust's Head of Fundraising Chris Baker also highlighted the impact of women's community football initiatives which the collaboration will support: “We're delighted to be partnering with Meantime Brewery Co. for their About Time initiative. With the women’s game growing in popularity, it's more important than ever that community programmes reach out to females of all ages to encourage active participation in sport.
“Meantime’s support will go towards women's only football sessions in south-east London and Kent. Their support will also help fund our Female Post-16 Football and Education Academy which provides young women the opportunity to continue with their studies whilst developing on a football pathway.”
About Time will be poured in pubs across London over the coming months. It will also be available at Oakman Inns venues, including The Beech House Hampton Hill and Watford. For those that can’t get to The Valley or pub stockist there will be a limited amount of 440ml can on Meantime’s web shop. It’s a limited edition so make sure you get your pint and support the women’s football. #ItsAboutTime
