Papa John's Trophy in Hartlepool
Fans can grab a selfie with the famous cup
To celebrate the Semi-Final stage of this seasons Papa John’s Trophy, the pizza delivery chain is giving fans the chance to snap a selfie with the trophy itself alongside their favourite club personalities. Papa Johns will also give away hundreds of Cheese and Tomato pizzas to football fans next week as well as tickets to remaining matches in this season’s competitions, including the Wembley final.
The trophy will stop off in the hometown of each semi-finalist over the space of four days. Not only that, Papa John’s stores in each location will get a unique makeover to mark the special occasion, with each store being renamed in honour of each club for one week only in the lead up to the fixtures.
The Semi-Finals, which are both live on Sky Sports, will kick off on Tuesday 8th March when Wigan Athletic welcome EFL newcomers Sutton United. The following day Hartlepool United will play host to League One Rotherham United in the other Semi-Final, with all four teams battling for a place in the final and a trip to the iconic Wembley Stadium.
To get fans in the mood for the semi-final’s, Papa John’s is giving locals the opportunity to get up close and personal with the trophy. The pizza chain will also give away one hundred free small pizzas in each location*, where fans will also be joined by a mixture of club legends and current players and managers, all hoping to inspire their team all the way to Wembley.
Fans will also have the chance to join them in the capital should their team make it to the final thanks to the title sponsor, with a ticket giveaway that fans can be entered for by simply attending the tour event and posting their photo with the trophy on Twitter with #PJTSemiFinal.
Kicking off in Hartlepool on Tuesday 1st March at the home of the Monkey Hanger’s, The Suit Direct Stadium, the Papa John’s trophy will be on display between 3-6pm for fans to get a taste for victory along with some free Papa John’s vouchers. Club mascot H’Angus will also make an appearance in partnership with star striker, Luke Molyneux, as they give fans a glimpse of the trophy up for grabs.
Wednesday 2nd March sees the trophy visit South Yorkshire, the home of The Millers, where fans can meet club legend and Honorary Life President of Rotherham United, John Breckin between 3-6pm. Miller Bear will join the lifelong Rotherham fan on the second stop of the trophy tour, at the newly named Papa Millers store.
Working its way south, the next stop will be at Sutton United, the home of Jenny the Giraffe on Thursday 3rd March also between 3-6pm. Again, there will be free pizza to fans to enjoy at Papa Louis John’s, named after the club’s star centre-back. The trophy will be joined by promotion-leading manager Matt Gray and several first-team players hoping to upset Wigan Athletic in their Semi-Final showdown.
The trophy tour will conclude in Wigan on Friday 4th March, where fans can celebrate at Papa Latics between 3-6pm with striker Divin Baningime. Divin has already been on target in the Papa John’s Trophy and will be looking to add to his tally in the semi-final fixture at the DW Stadium.
Speaking on the tour, Giles Codd, Senior Director of Marketing at Papa John’s said: “The Papa John’s Trophy is a great way for EFL clubs and fans alike to experience a full day-out at Wembley, and the remaining four clubs are now exceptionally close to reaching this goal.”
“We’re so excited to be marking these Semi-Final fixtures with a trophy tour that gives back to the fans, with a chance to see the trophy, meet their hero’s, win tickets to the final and of course, enjoy lots of free pizza at the same time. We can’t wait to see how the fixtures play out and who will make it all the way to Wembley”.
For more information, supporters can check out their club and Papa John’s Trophy social channels.