• British rapper Aitch and Shaun Williamson, who played “Barry” in Eastenders, come together in unlikely partnership on Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar stage to surprise fans
• The version of “Sweet Caroline” was performed at BOXPARK Wembley ahead of England’s second qualifying UEFA EURO 2024™ game
• Sweet Caroline was ranked the nation's favourite football anthem (31%), above Three Lions (23%), We Are The Champions (29%) and Vindaloo (15%)
• Research reveals that three quarters (74%) of Brits think music is important in connection to football

20^th June 2024 – Today, ahead of England’s UEFA EURO 2024™ game against Denmark, British rapper Aitch invited Shaun Williamson onto the Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar stage at BOXPARK Wembley to surprise fans with a rendition of Sweet Caroline. The unlikely union saw Shaun, known to many as Barry from Eastenders, lead the popular ballad, with BRIT award-winning rapper Aitch joining in much to fans delight. Unsuspecting fans who had already been treated to a surprise set from Aitch, are seen open-mouthed and jumping up and down when Shaun known for his popular BARRIOKE tour joined him. The pair can be seen arm in arm donned in red clothing, as they encourage BOXPARK Wembley fans to join in with the popular chorus.

New research from Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar inspired the performance, revealing that Sweet Caroline ranked the nation's favourite football anthem (31%), above Three Lions (23%), We Are The Champions (29%) and Vindaloo (15%). What’s more, three quarters of Brits think that music is important in connection to football and that 37% have a favourite song they like to listen to before their team plays.

The top 5 football anthems are:

1.     Sweet Caroline (31%)

2.     We Are The Champions (29%)

3.     You’ll Never Walk Alone (25%)

4.     Three Lions (23%)

5.     Vindaloo (15%)

With eight in ten (80%) Brits saying that football fan rituals are passed down through the generations, it comes as no surprise that watching a game in a beer garden is their favourite UEFA EURO 2024™ ritual. Wider research from across Europe* also showed that over half (52%) of England fans think the luckiest time to perform a ritual is just before the match.

Commenting on the performance, rapper Aitch says: “That was just unreal. The vibes were incredible. You never know what you’re going to get from the England team, but you know the fans are going to be amazing. Being able to perform in front of so many England fans, that’s just mad. That moment before the game, when you’ve got music and football coming together, you can’t beat that, it’s magic. Shaun’s such a legend and it was brilliant to surprise everyone with him and this song on the Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar stage at BOXPARK.”

Speaking before the performance Shaun Williamson says: “I absolutely love touring around the UK and performing some of the nation’s favourite ballads but there’s something extra exciting about singing ahead of a big football match, especially at BOXPARK where it all really kicked off for me. I’m chuffed I’ll be performing with Aitch on the Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar stage and am going to be surprising fans – the energy is going to be unmatched.”

Laura Moon, Senior Brand Manager at The Coca‑Cola Company says: “We want to celebrate all football fan rituals and that’s why we’re thrilled to treat fans to a special performance of their favourite anthem. We know there is demand for unexpected talent to sing these songs and that’s why we've bought together one of the leading names in UK music right now, with Shaun Williamson who is a much loved cultural icon.”

The moment comes alongside the UEFA EURO 2024™ football tournament that began on 14^th June, where Coca‑Cola is launching the #TheRitualCup – a celebration of the rituals that unite football fans across Europe to support their teams to victory. As the official non-alcoholic beverage sponsor of the tournament, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar is encouraging fans to share their rituals on social media with ‘#TheRitualCup’ or take part via the Coca‑Cola app to unlock exclusive prizes and experiences.

--ENDS--

Notes to Editors:

About Coca Cola Great Britain

Coca‑Cola Great Britain is responsible for marketing 13 brands and over 55 products to consumers across Great Britain. Led by Coca‑Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognisable brands, our company portfolio includes Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Oasis, glaceau smartwater, Schweppes and Powerade. The Company is committed to a World Without Waste. All its packaging is recyclable, and it has a global goal to collect and recycle every one of its bottles or cans by 2030.

About UEFA

UEFA – the Union of European Football Associations – is the governing body of European football. It is an association of associations, a representative democracy, and is the umbrella organisation for 55 national football associations across Europe.

Its objectives are, among other things, to deal with all questions relating to European football, to promote football in a spirit of unity, solidarity, peace, understanding and fair play, without any discrimination on the part of politics, race, religion, gender or any other reason, to safeguard the values of European football, promote and protect ethical standards and good governance in European football, maintain relations with all stakeholders involved in European football, and support and safeguard its member associations for the overall well-being of the European game.

About GingerComms - Research Methodology

Research of 2,000 Brits was commissioned by Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar and was conducted by Perspectus Global in June 2024.

About BOXPARK

BOXPARK brings communities together by providing the best street food, drinks and entertainment under one roof with locations at Wembley, Croydon and Liverpool.

About Kantar – Research Methodology

* Research was conducted in May 2024 by Kantar’s Profiles Audience Network for Coca‑Cola. It surveyed 16804 people across 9 markets. The nine European markets are Belgium (2001), Croatia (2001), Denmark (2000), Germany (2001), Hungary (2000), Italy (2000), Spain (2000), England (2000), Slovenia(801).

Kantar is the world’s leading marketing data and analytics business and an indispensable brand partner to the world’s top companies. We combine the most meaningful attitudinal and behavioural data with deep expertise and advanced analytics to uncover how people think and act. We help clients understand what has happened and why and how to shape the marketing strategies that shape their future.

The Profiles division of Kantar delivers the highest quality data for custom survey solutions and quick decision making via our premium panels. By leveraging the right balance of human expertise and advanced, proprietary machine learning anti-fraud tech, our clients move with confidence and at speed.