Marketing Birmingham : City News

Bullring to Bullring

Martin O’Neill has issued a formidable challenge ahead of the Peace Cup – but not to any of his first team stars. Martin wants club journalists Jack Woodward and Paul Brown to transport Villa’s brand new home kit to the team’s Malaga training base – by car.

On Monday (20 July) at 3.30pm Paul will be joined by Villa’s own Spanish sensation Carlos Cuéllar outside Birmingham’s Bullring to pick up the kit from the city centre club shop and load it into the back of the cars which will travel through London, Paris, Perpignan and Benidorm before finally arriving in Malaga.

Jack and Paul will be hitting the road in two cars – the superb new Seat Leon and Ibiza – which will be emblazoned in club colours, the club crest and those of our partners on the trip VisitBirmingham.com and Thomas Cook.

avfc_bullring_cars

Dave Hodgson from Marketing Birmingham said: “We are working with Aston Villa to drive one of the city’s most recognisable brands through the heart of Europe. We are taking the Visit Birmingham message across France and Spain to Malaga to show football fans and expats that the city is fully behind its premiership football teams.

“Hopefully they will be driving back to Birmingham with the Peace Cup. And another increase in tourism for the city.”

Carlos will greet the cars and take delivery of the kit alongside Martin O’Neill when Jack and Paul finally arrive at in Malaga at the end of the week.

The 2009-10 strip will then be unveiled at the team hotel by the star defender on Friday July 24 – the day before Villa’s first Peace Cup clash with Malaga.

Martin O’Neill said: “I have worked alongside Jack and Paul since my arrival at Villa as manager and they have always been very reliable when interviewing both myself and my first team players. I have set them this challenge to bring our new home kit across England, France and Spain to our training base in Malaga and in all honesty, I have total confidence in them.

“However, in the back of my mind, I am concerned they will forget to do the small things – like putting petrol in the car.”