{"id":694925,"date":"2026-05-26T13:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694925\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:29:09","slug":"heineken-turns-soccer-fans-into-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694925\/","title":{"rendered":"Heineken turns soccer fans into volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heineken is giving soccer fans a way to watch the World Cup \u2013 and many other soccer matches \u2013 on the company\u2019s dime while doing a little good for their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The brand, which recently trademarked itself as the \u201cOfficial Beer of Soccer,\u201d has launched an initiative that enables soccer fans to take advantage of a little-used work benefit, \u201cVolunteer Time Off,\u201d to take a break from their workplaces and catch a match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using a dedicated website, HeinekenFanVolunteers.com<\/a>, fans can sign up for local volunteer opportunities that just happen to coincide with upcoming game days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The initiative was created after company research revealed that more than half (52%) of U.S. desk workers admit they have lied to their employer to watch a soccer match, and 75% said they have secretly checked scores or streamed matches from their desks when they occur during the workday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, we realized many Americans already have access to a workplace benefit they rarely use: Volunteer Time Off (VTO),\u201d said Guilherme de Marchi Retz, vice president of marketing at Heineken USA. \u201cThat sparked the idea: what if we could turn an overlooked work benefit into a way for fans to come together in real life, give back to their communities, and potentially enjoy the match together instead of alone behind a screen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Using the site, fans can find volunteering opportunities with local nonprofits, where they can meet up with other like\u2013minded fans to contribute meaningfully to their communities and perhaps either watch the match while volunteering (in certain instances, per de Marchi Retz) or set up viewing parties for a later date.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe broader message of the campaign is really about encouraging fans to use their VTO benefits and give back to their own communities in whatever way feels meaningful to them,\u201d de Marchi Retz said. \u201cWhether that\u2019s participating through one of our featured nonprofit partners or volunteering independently at a local organization, we hope the campaign inspires fans to connect with others and make a positive impact locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brand is promoting the initiative via a tongue-in-cheek corporate training video <\/a>in which a Heineken representative catches a young man watching a match on his phone at his desk. (She promptly drops the phone in a glass of water.) After explaining the details of the promo, the rep is confronted by a member of the finance department who asks whether employees are being paid to watch soccer. \u201cNo, they\u2019re being paid to make the world a better place,\u201d she responds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to partner with organizations that reflected the spirit of community and connection that sits at the heart of this campaign,\u201d de Marchi Retz said. \u201cAs the campaign continues to evolve, we also expect this network of nonprofit partners to continue growing, helping us expand opportunities for fans to participate across additional communities and markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Heineken Fan Volunteers program is part of the brand\u2019s larger \u201cFans Have More Friends\u201d platform, which showcases how shared passions can turn strangers into newfound friends. \u201c\u2018Heineken Fan Volunteers\u2019 brings that to life in a very tangible way, and helps to reinforce our brand belief that a refreshing social life is built through new experiences and connections,\u201d de Marchi Retz said. \u201cFans are not just watching a match together. They\u2019re volunteering side-by-side, meeting new people and building real community connections through a shared love of soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the Fan Volunteers program, Heineken will make good on its promise of being the \u201cOfficial Beer of Soccer\u201d through special packaging resembling a soccer pitch, a new aluminum bottle design featuring the UEFA Champions League logo, and retail displays resembling a soccer goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heineken is giving soccer fans a way to watch the World Cup \u2013 and many other soccer matches…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":694926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-694925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=694925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}