Sodexo is to sponsor the Women’s Professional Football Association Awards for the next three years.

The Women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year will be presented in association with Sodexo until 2018.

CEO Sports & Leisure, Sodexo UK & Ireland, Chris Bray presented Izzy Christiansen and Beth Mead with Women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year respectively at the 43rd PFA Awards at Grosvenor House London last night (24 April).

Sodexo has strong links with professional football in the UK and Ireland, and a clear focus on gender balance.

The Sodexo Sports & Leisure portfolio includes provision of retail, hospitality, sales and conference services at the stadiums of Newcastle United FC and Everton FC in the Premier League, and Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Huddersfield Town AFC in the Championship.

Republic of Ireland and Sunderland Ladies striker Stephanie Roche was last year appointed health and wellbeing ambassador for Sodexo Ireland, supporting Sodexo’s Healthwise initiative across 200 client sites in the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Sodexo is committed to gender balance both in the UK and Ireland, and last week was included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women for third year running.

In March 2015, Sodexo made a commitment to publish its gender pay gap ahead of legislation.

Chris Bray, CEO Sports & Leisure, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “We’re proud to sponsor the Women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year which is a tremendous fit with our existing partnerships in professional football and our commitment to gender balance.

“At Sodexo, we are genuinely committed to gender equality. As well as being the right thing to do, our global research shows that where our teams are more gender balanced they are more engaged, productive and profitable, so there’s also a clear business case.

“We look forward to sponsoring these awards for the next three years, and of course congratulations to Izzy, Beth and all the nominees.”

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