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Kids meet soccer stars through McDonald's UEFA Euro 2012 sponsorship

June 18, 2012

On June 15, England's Owen Hargreaves and Sweden's Freddie Ljungberg met the McDonald's Player Escorts who were able to walk out with the teams at the Sweden vs. England soccer match, showcasing one of McDonald's programs as sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2012.

The "Player Escort Programme" is the centerpiece of McDonald's event sponsorship, which gives 682 children from Europe the chance to walk out with their football heroes in Poland and Ukraine.

The McDonald's Player Escorts represented children across 34 countries who were given the chance to accompany the players onto the field prior to the tournament.

"The McDonald's Player Escort Programme gives children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk out with some of Europe's best footballers ahead of a UEFA Euro 2012 match. It is a fun way to inspire children to get involved in sport and an incredible experience they will never forget," said Pierre Woreczek, senior vice president of Brand & Strategy at McDonald's Europe.

The Player Escort Programme is just one of the initiatives McDonald's is spearheading during the tournament. Since June 1, McDonald's has been searching for the most passionate soccer fans across Europe with the McDonald's Passion Meter, gauging which fans cheer the loudest at the tournament, with two Giant Passion Meters situated in Kyiv and Warsaw's Super Fan Zones. Fans also can prove their passion with a Passion Meter app, or on the Passion Meter website www.passion-meter.com.

Also, the McDonald's Euro Cup, the largest employee soccer tournament in Europe, will give McDonald's employees from across the continent the chance to play on the same field as some of Europe's best players the day after the UEFA Euro 2012 Semi Finals, at the Warsaw National Stadium.

The McDonald's' Player Escort Programme dates back to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and Korea, and the 2004 UEFA European Championships in Portugal.

The event comes about two months before McDonald's other major sports sponsorship this summer, the London Summer Olympic Games.

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