Marathonbet's passion for non-league football was recognised on Tuesday night after their hugely-popular #NonLeagueChallenge initiative was crowned ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year' at the prestigious SBC Awards.
The bookmaker beat rivals including William Hill, BetBright, Racing Post, Bet Victor and Betfred to the coveted crown after impressing judges with their exciting NLC campaign, which is now in its third season.
For those who have not seen it before, the NLC is Marathonbet's search for non-league football's greatest goal celebration and it's been making waves across the UK for three years now.
Marathonbet challenge scores of clubs to come up with their most creative, memorable celebrations and perform them during a competitive match. Their efforts are then judged later on in the competition by a host of former Premier League stars. The eventual winners are given a massive cash prize – plus a money-spinning home match against the ex-Premier League legends.
Last season, Corby Town trumped more than 40 other clubs to the NLC title thanks to Jason Lee's brilliant pint-swigging celebration. After his side netted against Mickleover Sports in the Northern Premier League Premier, Lee cheekily pinched a fan's beer before downing a few gulps and running off again. A video clip of the celebration went viral and really got chins wagging.
Corby won a massive £10,000 cash prize, which they are now free to spend on anything from new players to stadium improvements.
They also finished their pre-season in style in the summer after beating the NLC Premier League Legends team. The Steelmen ran out impressive 6-1 winners against a star-studded team including Eidur Gudjohnsen, Emile Heskey, Nigel Winterburn, Dion Dublin and William Gallas.
With 2,000 people watching from the stands, the hugely-anticipated match proved a real crowd pleaser and the perfect finale to the NLC's second season.
The NLC also encompasses charity, too. The online bookie teamed up with Prostate Cancer UK and gave 10% of all gate receipts from the NLC match to the charity – plus a donation on top. In total the charity received £12,000 to help continue its vital work fighting prostate cancer.
This season's #NonLeagueChallenge is going to be bigger and better than ever with a huge £20,000 prize fund.
We all love the bright lights of the Premier League. But Marathonbet is big on championing all that's great about grassroots football too.
Make sure you join Marathonbet in this season's NLC. Entries are open now.
For more information on how to enter, visit https://www.nlc.marathonbet.co.uk/ or visit @NonLgeChallenge on Twitter.
