When Keith Hill said he wanted to sprinkle a bit of salt n pepper on Tranmere's players he could never have imagined that a pizza store would be named after him, but that's exactly what has happened in Birkenhead.
The Papa John’s Trophy is set for a one-of-a-kind Wembley final weekender on March 13 and 14 as the finals of the 2020 and 2021 competitions are played.
To help build anticipation, the pizza delivery chain has issued a rallying cry for each team by renaming four of its stores after the manager of each competing side.
The Saturday final sees 2019 winners Portsmouth FC take on the ‘Class of 92’ owned Salford City as the 2020 competition finally reaches its conclusion.
This hotly anticipated matchup will see the Salford store, just a stone’s throw from the club’s Peninsula stadium transformed to Papa Richie’s after their manager Wellens. Not only that, Papa John’s in Portsmouth take up the name of Papa Kenny’s (Jackett) as Pompey look to win the competition two years on the spin.
But on Sunday, it’s the turn of the 2021 finalists to do battle for the trophy, with Tranmere facing Sunderland in what promises to be an epic encounter.
In Birkenhead, a store has been transformed to Papa Keith’s (Hill). Finally, a store in Sunderland will have a Mackem makeover in the form of Papa Lee’s after their manager Lee Johnson.
Giles Codd, Marketing Director at Papa John’s said: ‘We can’t wait for the action at Wembley this weekend, and we know that all four teams are going to be desperate to get their name on the trophy.’
“We want to wish all of them luck, so by renaming our stores in each of the finalists’ towns we’re hopefully able to build a sense of anticipation among each local community. Who better to be able to provide this than the manager of each team? After all, they’re the boss!”
The fun rebrand comes as Papa John’s has announced plans to inject £250,000 into football communities with its ‘Together We Can’ fund.
From goalposts that need replacing to clubhouses that need a lick of paint, local football clubs all over the UK will have the chance to apply for access to a £100k fund, distributed by a Papa John’s committee to give grassroots clubs a boost.
The pizza delivery chain has also pledged to provide £150k worth of brand-new football kits to clubs all over the UK in 2021 to help the 12 million people in the UK involved in the grassroots game.
Only Mrs Hill knows for sure if Rovers boss Keith is any good in the kitchen, but with the club sitting just two points off the top of League Two and Wembley silverware on the horizon, he's certainly stayed true to his word and been handy with his condiments.
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