Easter Marketing in Football: Multi-Year Analysis of Easter Campaigns.

Roger Hampel

Football clubs around the world have increasingly leveraged the Easter holiday as a platform for creative marketing and fan engagement. From special merchandise and limited-time promotions to community initiatives and sponsor partnerships, Easter-themed campaigns have become a recurring feature in recent years. This article examines a variety of Easter campaigns by clubs across different leagues and countries – ranging from top European teams to smaller local clubs – highlighting promotions, themed products, community drives, fan events at stadiums, brand collaborations, and social media content. We also evaluate the creativity, reach, and impact of these campaigns on both the clubs’ business goals and their communities.

Seasonal Merchandise and Promotions Easter Marketing in Football: Multi-Year Analysis of Easter Campaigns.

Many clubs use Easter as an opportunity to boost retail sales and offer themed merchandise. It is common to see Easter-themed products like chocolate eggs packaged with club-branded items. For example, Brentford FC released a “Easter Egg and Mug Set” – a club mug filled with a foil-wrapped chocolate egg – for £12.50, which quickly sold out. Similar Easter egg-and-mug bundles have appeared in the stores of clubs like Wigan Athletic and Celtic, providing fans with holiday gifts that carry team colors and logos. Besides bespoke products, clubs often run flash sales and discounts during the Easter period. In 2025, Aston Villa advertised an “Easter flash sale” with up to 50% off selected retail lines in the official club shop. Such promotions, often time-limited over the Easter weekend, create a sense of urgency and help clear leftover merchandise while giving fans a bargain.

Photo Credit: Aston Villa

In Italy, club-themed chocolate Easter eggs have become a true hit. Pictured below: the official uovo di Pasqua of Juventus, produced by Balocco (240g of milk chocolate featuring the Juve logo and a surprise inside). These kinds of limited-edition products allow fans to be with their favorite team even during Easter. Many top Serie A clubs – such as Juventus, Inter, and Milan – offer these branded Easter eggs every year, usually in collaboration with confectionery brands.

Photo Credit: Balocco

Fan Events and Stadium Activities

Easter has proven to be a fruitful time for clubs to host special events at stadiums, blending football with holiday fun. Across the English Premier League, Easter egg hunts in stadium tours have become popular. For instance, Chelsea FC partnered with Cadbury for a unique twist to their stadium tour: families could explore the Chelsea Museum to find hidden Easter eggs while learning club history. The event, part of Cadbury’s global “Worldwide Hide” campaign, turned a regular tour of Stamford Bridge into an interactive Easter adventure for children and adults alike. Similarly, Manchester City announced an Easter egg hunt as part of their Etihad Stadium tours in 2025, with the added incentive that one lucky participant would win a mascot experience at a future game. The club’s mascot “Moonchester” made appearances during the tours, and the hunts were available throughout the Easter half-term holidays, making it a perfect family outing.

Families participating in an Easter-themed stadium tour at Liverpool FC’s Anfield, in partnership with Cadbury. Such tours often include egg hunts, club mascots, and holiday treats for young fans.

Several clubs integrate official partners into these events to enhance appeal. Liverpool FC, for example, teamed up with their sponsor Cadbury during Easter 2024 to enrich the Anfield stadium tour experience. Visitors enjoyed Easter-themed activities like skill challenges, face painting, a scavenger hunt, and meet-and-greets with the club mascot Mighty Red. Cadbury provided extra attractions, including a chance to pose with a giant Cadbury Creme Egg car and a penalty shootout contest with Cadbury’s frog mascot Freddo. Each tour visitor even received a free Cadbury chocolate treat, reinforcing the festive spirit. Beyond tours, Liverpool offered the “Anfield Abseil” during this period – an adrenaline activity where fans could rappel 100 feet down the stadium’s main stand – showing how clubs use Easter breaks to launch novel fan experiences.

In 2023, Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga) organized a three-day "BVB-Ostererlebnis" (BVB Easter Experience) at their iconic Signal Iduna Park, offering families a festive blend of stadium tours and special Easter-themed activities. Children aged 3–14 could take part in an Easter quiz led by the club's beloved mascot, Emma the Bee, and join an Easter bunny figurine hunt within the BVB Museum, with prizes for successful participants. The event also featured games like football bowling and target shooting, plus photo opportunities with Emma dressed as the "Easter Bee." Tickets were affordably priced — a family ticket cost just €26.50 — and included museum entry, demonstrating how the club effectively combined holiday fun with promoting its heritage and infrastructure.

Photo Credit: BVB

In 2025, Hamburger SV (2. Bundesliga) launched an interactive Easter shopping activity for fans. Hidden Easter egg icons were placed within product photos on both the club’s online and physical stores. When spotted, fans could use the code “Ostern25” to receive a 10% discount on that item. This simple gamified promotion not only increased online engagement but also boosted sales during the Easter week.

Photo Credit: HSV

VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga) created a week-long online campaign in 2025 called "Oster-Überraschungswoche" (Easter Surprise Week), running from April 15 to 21. Each day, fans could participate in mini-games and digital contests to win fan shop discounts and other prizes. The grand prize was an exclusive invitation to a closed-door presentation of the club’s 2025/26 kits — including a full set of new jerseys for the winners. This creative and interactive campaign kept fans engaged daily and built anticipation for the new season's kit reveal.

Schalke 04 (Bundesliga), known for its family-friendly matchday experiences, hosted special Easter activities during their Easter Saturday home fixture (April 19 in the year Easter fell on that date). Children were invited to the "Tausend-Freunde-Mauer" stadium zone for an Easter-themed event with games and prizes. Mascots and club partners set up fun stations, allowing young fans to win gifts and enjoy interactive activities — reinforcing Schalke’s identity as a family-oriented club and strengthening ties with the next generation of supporters.

Photo Credit: FC Schalke 04

Matchday events around Easter are also common. Clubs arrange pre-game or halftime Easter activities especially when matches fall on Easter weekend. This can range from Easter bunnies roaming the sidelines, to on-pitch egg-and-spoon races for kids, or giveaway of chocolates to attendees. In the Premier League, Crystal Palace promoted special Easter-themed stadium tours and activities for families at Selhurst Park, and Everton have previously organized egg hunts at Goodison Park for local children (often through their community arm). In lower leagues, creative touches are evident – as seen in the Yeovil Town case where a Good Friday fixture was transformed into a mini Easter festival for supporters.

It’s worth noting that in countries with strong Easter traditions, clubs sometimes incorporate local customs. In Poland, where blessing food baskets on Holy Saturday is customary, Zagłębie Lubin annually invites fans to the stadium for a basket blessing ceremony (święconka) on Easter Eve. The club chaplain leads the rites on the pitch, and supporters can meet players afterward. This blending of religious tradition with club culture strengthens community bonds and draws positive media attention without a commercial motive.

Photo Credit: Zaglebie Lubin

Community and Charity Campaigns

Easter campaigns are not solely about sales – many football clubs use the holiday as a time to give back to their communities. Charitable and community-driven Easter initiatives have become staples, often led by clubs’ charitable foundations or community trusts. A striking example is Swansea City AFC’s “Everyone Deserves an Easter” campaign in Wales. In 2025, Swansea City partnered with its foundation, a local MP (Carolyn Harris), and sponsor Morrisons supermarket to ensure families in need didn’t miss out on Easter. They collected donations of chocolate eggs and prepared Easter Sunday lunch hampers for low-income households. The club urged fans to donate eggs at the stadium and rallied volunteers to distribute hampers and treats to hundreds of families. This initiative, an Easter counterpart to their successful Christmas hamper campaign, showcased creativity in community outreach and had a direct social impact by bringing holiday cheer to underprivileged children.

Photo Credit: Swansea

In England, Preston North End’s Community and Education Trust (PNECET) runs a similar Easter egg drive. With sponsorship from a local car dealer (Bowker MINI), PNECET has for several years distributed thousands of Easter eggs to kids across Preston’s most deprived areas. Eggs are given out via food banks, community centers, and even during the club’s home match on Good Friday, ensuring that the campaign engages both the community and match-going fans.

Many clubs also organize hospital visits or youth outreach around Easter. It is common to see players and mascots visiting children’s hospitals with baskets of Easter eggs or engaging in fun activities like egg painting. For instance, players from ŁKS Łódź in Poland (often accompanied by the club mascot) have visited pediatric clinic to hand out toys and painted eggs with young patients, brightening their Easter. Back in 2014, Cracovia Kraków players spent an afternoon painting Easter eggs with children at a local hospital, a gesture warmly received by the community and covered by local media.

In 2025, non-league Dulwich Hamlet FC in London launched an Easter Egg fundraiser aiming to buy chocolate eggs for families in need and for children at King’s College Hospital. The club used its social media and matchday announcements to encourage supporters to donate money via a crowdfunding link. This micro-campaign exemplifies how even with limited resources, a club can mobilize its fanbase for a good cause during Easter.

Collaborations with Brands and Sponsors

Easter-themed campaigns often involve collaboration between clubs and commercial partners. Sponsors see holiday campaigns as a chance to promote their brand in a positive, festive context. The standout example is Cadbury, one of the English Premier League’s official partners, which has integrated with multiple clubs’ Easter activities. Cadbury’s nationwide “Worldwide Hide” Easter campaign (an initiative encouraging people to hide virtual Easter eggs for others) has been localized by clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham. At Chelsea, the Cadbury Worldwide Hide formed the basis of the Stamford Bridge egg hunt event in the museum.

At Tottenham Hotspur, Cadbury sponsored a more competitive twist: on Easter 2025, Spurs arranged a treasure hunt around their stadium where fans who solved clues (posted on the club’s social channels) could find hidden Cadbury Easter eggs containing a signed Tottenham shirt as a prize. Only ticket holders attending the match that day could participate, turning an ordinary match attendance into an interactive brand experience. The collaboration provided Cadbury with direct exposure to thousands of fans, while Tottenham offered a unique reward to engage supporters.

Photo Credit: Cadbury

Cadbury’s presence is also felt in simpler ways, such as providing chocolate giveaways at events or co-branding products. The Liverpool–Cadbury partnership during the Anfield tours led to co-branded activities (the Creme Egg car photo-op, Freddo mascot shootout) and free chocolates for attendees, reinforcing Cadbury’s image as the treat provider for football fans. In return, Liverpool got additional attractions for their tour without extra cost, and the Cadbury name attached to its marketing. This synergy between a confectionery brand and football clubs around Easter is a natural fit, and Cadbury has executed it across several top clubs, effectively associating their brand with fans’ joyful moments.

Other collaborations are more locally flavored. We saw earlier how Morrisons supermarket supported Swansea’s hamper campaign and how Bowker MINI (a car dealership) backed Preston’s egg distribution.

Photo Credit: Preston North End FC

In both cases, the brands benefit from positive publicity and alignment with the club’s community values. Clubs, in turn, get financial or in-kind support to expand their campaigns. Even in merchandising, partnerships show up – some clubs sell Easter chocolates produced by known chocolatiers or have limited-edition sweets with sponsor logos. Overall, sponsor tie-ins extend the reach and professionalism of Easter campaigns: a well-funded campaign can give away bigger prizes or reach more people, and sponsors get a fresh way to connect with the audience besides the usual banners and kit logos.

Social Media and Digital Campaigns

Modern Easter campaigns aren’t confined to physical events – digital engagement is a key component. Football clubs capitalize on social media to run Easter contests, interactive content, and greeting messages that can go viral.

A great example of digital creativity is the Swansea City digital Easter egg hunt of 2023. The club hid virtual Easter egg icons across its website, mobile app, and social media posts over a week. Each egg had a letter; fans who collected all letters could assemble a secret word and submit it online to enter a prize draw for a free season ticket. This campaign successfully drove traffic to various digital platforms – fans scoured match previews, videos, and even the online matchday programme to find the eggs. The results were telling: Swansea reported a 26% increase in Twitter views and significantly higher likes (40-52% up) on the “matchday” social posts during the campaign. (OtherMedia)

Email engagement also rose (click-throughs up 12%) and, importantly, the usually less-visited sections of the website (like the digital programme) saw sustained engagement with a 68% jump in views. By gamifying content discovery, the club achieved lasting boosts in how fans engaged with its media. This kind of campaign illustrates how Easter can be used as a hook to enhance the club’s digital footprint and first-party data (through contest sign-ups). (OtherMedia)

In Social Media, it’s typical to see players in videos wishing fans a Happy Easter – sometimes multilingual messages if the club has global stars – or doing something fun like an Easter egg decorating challenge on camera. While these content pieces might not have the tangible returns of a sales promotion, they often garner high engagement as fans share the festive spirit. For example, clubs like Real Madrid or Manchester United regularly post Easter graphics or short videos on Easter Sunday that receive millions of impressions and help maintain a warm connection with followers in between intense match content.

In some cases, clubs use Easter to promote youth and community content on social channels. A club might highlight an Easter football camp for kids or share photos of community Easter events (egg hunts at the training ground, etc.), which again widens the reach of those initiatives to a global audience. Hashtags such as #HappyEaster along with club-specific tags ensure the content is discoverable and part of the wider social conversation. Tottenham’s egg hunt, as mentioned, relied on clues on Twitter/X or Instagram stories to lead fans to prizes, effectively merging online and offline engagement. This multi-channel approach shows that Easter campaigns now operate in an omnichannel sphere: physical events are amplified online, and online activities drive fans back into real-world interactions with the club.

Egg Hunt at LAFC. Photo Credit: Los Angeles FC

Creativity, Reach and Impact: An Evaluation

The diverse examples of Easter-themed campaigns demonstrate varying levels of creativity and different strategic goals:

Creativity: Some clubs stick to tried-and-true tactics like retail sales or simple egg hunts, while others push the envelope. The most creative efforts were those that offered unique experiences or interactive participation. Tottenham’s stadium treasure hunt for signed shirts and Swansea’s digital scavenger hunt are prime examples of innovative thinking, combining Easter folklore with modern fan engagement. Even culturally specific events (like Polish clubs hosting basket blessings) show creativity in aligning club identity with local traditions. Creative campaigns tend to generate more buzz and often free publicity from press and social media shares.
Reach: The potential reach of these campaigns correlates with club size and the channels used. Top clubs like Liverpool or Chelsea naturally have a huge global following, so even a simple Easter Tweet can reach millions. When they partner with a global brand (Cadbury) and run events, the marketing reach further extends through the brand’s channels. Smaller clubs, on the other hand, focus on local reach – community events in a town or region. For instance, Preston’s Easter egg drive, though not global news, reached hundreds of families in Preston and was covered by local media. Digital campaigns can bridge some of that gap; Swansea’s online contest was accessible to any fan online, not just those local, thereby increasing the reach beyond their stadium capacity. In summary, Easter campaigns at big clubs have international reach (via social media and news coverage), whereas at smaller clubs they have intensive local reach – both valuable in context.
Impact: The impact can be measured in several dimensions. Commercially, Easter sales and promotions likely provided a moderate boost in merchandise revenue during what is otherwise a lull between kit launches and end-of-season clearance. Flash sales (like Aston Villa’s) move inventory and generate online store traffic. The family events at stadiums can drive ticket and tour sales (as seen by Man City pricing tours at £30 for adults, £18 for kids, fully monetizing the experience) and ancillary revenue (concessions, etc.). Brand and fan engagement impact is arguably even more crucial. Easter activities, especially those targeting children (egg hunts, chocolates, meet-the-mascot), cultivate the next generation of fans by creating positive memories associated with the club. They also position the club as family-friendly and fun, an image many clubs actively strive for. The social media engagement numbers from Swansea’s campaign indicate that well-designed Easter content can re-engage fans with club media in new ways, which has long-term marketing value (more subscribers, more data, more sponsor impressions). Community impact is significant for campaigns that focused on giving. Thousands of families receiving Easter hampers or eggs because of club initiatives translates to immeasurable goodwill. Clubs like Swansea and Dulwich Hamlet showed that understanding their social responsibility can enhance their reputation – something that can indirectly lead to stronger support and even sponsorship deals with companies that value community work.
Fan reception to these Easter campaigns has generally been very positive. Fans appreciate when their club acknowledges holidays and provides something special. Whether it’s a discount on a jersey or a fun day out for the kids, these gestures build an emotional connection. Creative campaigns that involve fans (contests, hunts) generate excitement and talking points in fan communities. There is little backlash since Easter campaigns are usually optional and in good spirit, unlike say a controversial sponsorship. The only caution is to ensure authenticity – for example, a purely commercial push without any community aspect might be seen as the club trying to cash in on the holiday. But many clubs balance this by doing both – offering a sale and doing charity work, covering both ends.

In conclusion, Easter has emerged as a multifaceted marketing occasion for football clubs. Top-tier clubs have the resources to execute large-scale campaigns in partnership with global brands, achieving high levels of creativity and reach. Smaller clubs leverage Easter in ways that resonate with their local fanbase and community values, often with commendable impact.

From limited-edition Easter merchandise and festive stadium events to heartfelt community outreach and savvy social media contests, these campaigns illustrate how sports organizations can align with cultural moments. The creativity shown in some of the examples not only entertains fans but often reinforces loyalty and community attachment. The reach of campaigns can span from local neighborhoods to worldwide fan networks, depending on the club’s profile and use of digital channels.

And the impact – be it boosting the bottom line, strengthening brand equity, or genuinely improving people’s holidays – demonstrates why Easter marketing in football is here to stay. As clubs continue to compete off the pitch for fans’ attention and affection, the Easter season provides a colorful, meaningful way to engage, reward, and grow their supporter communities every spring.

Sources

Tottenham Hotspur – Easter Holiday ActivitiesOverview of Easter initiatives from Tottenham Hotspur including open training sessions, youth and women's team involvement, and community-focused events during the holiday period.🔗 https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2025/april/academy-women-easter-holiday-activities-with-spurs/
Preston North End – Bowker MINI Supports Easter CampaignPNE and its community foundation (PNECET), supported by Bowker MINI, distributed Easter eggs to children from underprivileged families across Preston.🔗 https://www.pnefc.net/news/2025/april/15/bowker-mini-backs-pnecets-easter-campaign/
Aston Villa – Up to 50% Off in Easter Flash SaleAston Villa launched a flash sale on official merchandise during Easter week, with discounts up to 50% in the club shop.🔗 https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2025/april/17/up-to-50--off-in-easter-flash-sale-/
Swansea City x Other Media – Digital Easter Egg HuntAn interactive digital campaign by Swansea City in partnership with Other Media, featuring a virtual egg hunt across platforms which significantly boosted engagement.🔗 https://other.media/digital-egg-hunt-boosts-engagement/#:~:text=Not%20only%20has%20the%20campaign,web%20pages%20and%20new%20features
Balocco x Juventus – Official Chocolate Easter EggsJuventus-themed chocolate Easter eggs by Italian confectionery brand Balocco – a seasonal product combining club identity with a holiday tradition.🔗 https://www.balocco.it/en/products/easter/chocolate-eggs/juventus
Hamburger SV – Easter Discount Promotion in Fan ShopHSV ran an Easter fan shop promotion where users could discover hidden egg icons on product images, unlocking discount codes for merchandise.🔗 https://www.hsv.de/news/oster-rabattaktion-im-fanshop#:~:text=Oster
Zagłębie Lubin – Easter Basket Blessing at StadiumThe Polish club invites fans to its stadium each year for a traditional Easter basket blessing (Święconka), connecting football with local culture.🔗 https://zmiedzi.pl/wydarzenia/wielkanocna-swieconka-na-stadionie-klub-zaprasza-kibicow-186663/#:~:text=Zgodnie%20z%20coroczn%C4%85%20tradycj%C4%85%2C%20w%C5%82adze,na%20stadionie%20KGHM%20Zag%C5%82%C4%99bie%20Arena
Borussia Dortmund – The Big BVB Easter ExperienceBVB hosted a multi-day Easter event at Signal Iduna Park with games, stadium tours, and an Easter scavenger hunt for families and kids.🔗 https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/News/Uebersicht/Das-grosse-BVB-Ostererlebnis-im-SIGNAL-IDUNA-PARK.html#:~:text=Freut%20Euch%20auf%20ein%20Ostererlebnis,mit%20vielen%20Highlights
Schalke 04 – Easter Matchday ActionSchalke organized Easter-themed activities during a matchday, including fun zones for kids and giveaways to enhance the festive atmosphere.🔗 https://schalke04.de/ostern-auf-schalke/oster-aktion-am-spieltag/#:~:text=Image%3A%20Osteraktion%20am%20Spieltag
The Times – History of Easter Football in EnglandAn in-depth feature about the longstanding tradition of football matches over the Easter weekend in English football culture.🔗 https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/history-easter-weekend-english-football-z5vpngs3n?region=global
LAFC, Cadbury