Castrol 1 Nationwide 0 

Swindon's winners and losers of Euro 2008

 

It's the competition all footy fans have been waiting for - but this year the closest thing we'll be getting to Euro 2008 will be on the telly.

 

Just like the England boys.

 

After embarassingly missing out on qualification of the tournament, the team will have to settle for a couple of meaningless friendlies to satisfy their international hunger.

 

That, and a trip to the Caribbean, poor things.

 

Winner...

 

But for one of the biggest companies in Swindon, the Euro-dream is still alive.

 

Worldwide oil producer Castrol, whose UK headquarters are on Pipers Way, Old Town, is the main sponsor of the competition.

 

The UEFA deal is the biggest in Castrol's history - and includes a massive investment in a revolutionary online statistics programme.

 

Kicking off Euro 2008: Castrol UK HQ at Pipers Way in Swindon

 

A special edition of the Castrol Performance Index (CPI) has been devised that will provide full data on all matches, including monitoring player movement, team analysis, and compare every team and player at the finals.

 

So if you want to know who's the best player in the tournament so far, who's the fastest, and who runs the furthest, then Castrol will give you the answer.

 

 

The real-time updates - available via a specially designed website - mean that fans will no longer rely on pundits for in-depth match reports (click on logo above or link below).

 

Not a company to do things by halves, Castrol have also employed three of the biggest names in football to promote the index. 

 

Ambassadors...

 

Arsene Wenger

Pierluigi Collina

Emilio Butragueño

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, former referee Pierluigi Collina, and Spanish legend Emilio Butragueño all representing the company at matches and official functions.

 

Town fans will of course remember Castrol's involvement at the County Ground during Swindon Town's heyday in the early to mid-1990s.

 

The oil giant sponsored our boys in red from the 1991-95 seasons with the company's petrol off-shoot Burmah, and the Castrol logo itself adorned on the shirts for the 1995-97 seasons.

 

Loser?...

 

While Castrol will be enjoying themselves in Austria, near-neighbour in Pipers Way, the Nationwide Building Society, who have been England's main sponsor since 2002, will be staying at home.

 

Steve McLaren's mess-up at Wembley in November 2007 meaning there has been no big Euro celebration at their HQ in Swindon this year.

 

Staying at home: Nationwide Building Society on Pipers Way

 

But they haven't lost out completely.

 

With the official competition starting on 7 June (not that we're that interested), the friendly games will be starting this weekend - England included.

 

And guess what? Instead of the Austrian tyrol, the FA have organised a kick-about in the Caribbean!

 

A fixture against Trinidad & Tobago - the final highlight for Rooney and co, before they sit back and watch the likes of Romania and Turkey battle it out in a tournament we should be favourites for - not also rans.

 

The match also providing the perfect excuse for representatives at Nationwide - who have also had a nightmare year of their own with the credit crunch - to soak up the sun themselves.

 

Taste of the Caribbean: Hasely Crawford Stadium where the England players will do their utmost to put the disappointment of Euro 2008 behind them

 

After all, our players are going to need all the support they can get as they travel 3,000 miles in the name of Queen and country, to fly the flag for England and the world's biggest building society (ignoring the official welcoming drinks party, sight-seeing trips to the Caribbean's best beaches, and a WAGs shopping extravaganza in Port of Spain).

 

Last time they clashed with the islanders from across the Atlantic was in Nuremberg during the World Cup of 2006 - where we beat them 2-0.

 

Let's just hope this fixture prepares England for their 2010 World Cup campaign, which starts in September.