Randox strengthen partnership with Sheffield United by agreeing to become naming right partner of the widely-acclaimed Sheffield United Academy
Randox strengthen partnership with Sheffield United by agreeing to become naming right partner of the widely-acclaimed Sheffield United Academy
08th October 2021 – Randox strengthen partnership with Sheffield United by agreeing to become naming right partner of the widely-acclaimed Sheffield United Academy
Sheffield United have today announced a further strengthening of their principal partnership with Randox. The healthcare giants have agreed to become naming right partners of the widely-acclaimed Sheffield United Academy.
Located at Shirecliffe, it is the base of the men’s, women’s and academy teams. The facility, since its opening its doors in the early 2000s, has seen the likes of Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, David Brooks, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Aaron Ramsdale all progress through the academy ranks.
Established in 1982 in Northern Ireland, Randox is the largest healthcare diagnostics company from the UK and Ireland. In 2019 Randox manufactured over four billion tests and operated in over 145 countries. The company employs more than 2,500 staff, including more than 450 research scientists and engineers, with key facilities located in Co. Antrim and Co. Donegal.
Randox Managing Director Dr Peter FitzGerald CBE said: “We are very excited for the opportunity to extend our partnership by aligning Randox with the Sheffield United Academy. With almost 40 years of experience in the manufacture of world-leading medical diagnostics and comprehensive health check and sports science services, Randox is well positioned to assist in the development of the health, wellbeing and performance of these elite athletes. We look forward to working with the Academy and to lending our expertise to make further developments in cutting-edge sports science.”
United’s head of commercial, Paul Reeves, said: “This is a significant further investment from Randox and a long-term commitment to our next generation of players, both male and female. The academy plays an integral part within the club and it goes without question the rising importance of developing players of all ages to continue to compete on a global scale. We would like to thank Dr FitzGerald and his colleagues for their valued contribution.”
Paul added; “The newly-named Randox Health Academy has some exciting prospects on the horizon with the likes of Daniel Jebbison, Femi Seriki and Iliman Ndiaye all making their Premier League debuts at the end of the 20/21 season.”
Visit randoxhealth.com to find out more about their ground-breaking R&D, advanced health checks, and rapid COVID travel tests.
For press enquiries please contact Amy Millar in the Randox PR team on amy.millar@randox.com or 028 9442 2413
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Randox Signs Principal Partnership with Sheffield United FC
26th May 2021 – Randox Signs Principal Partnership with Sheffield United FC
Global innovative healthcare company and the UK’s largest COVID-19 PCR testing provider Randox is today pleased to announce that it has signed a three-year principle partnership agreement with Sheffield United. The partnership will commence in the 2021 /2022 season and will include both men’s and women’s first team. From next season both teams will wear the Randox logo on their jerseys.
Founded in 1982 in County Antrim by leading medical scientist, Dr. Peter FitzGerald CBE, Randox has been a pioneer in improving health and enhancing lives, worldwide. To achieve their goals the company is committed to an extensive research programme, including investing more than £300m in the development of its innovative biochip array programme to enable earlier, more accurate diagnosis. The company currently employs more than 2000 people of over 40 different nationalities.
Randox is a world leader in healthcare diagnostics; today more than 5% of the world’s population – in excess of 370 million people across 145 countries – receives medical diagnosis through use of Randox products each year. Over the past year, Randox has been at the forefront of the UK’s fight against COVID-19, and has significantly invested in its testing capacity meaning that it can now process over 500,000 tests per day, making it amongst the very largest COVID-19 laboratories in Europe. To date Randox having processed over 13 million COVID-19 PCR tests in the UK and now have comprehensive Covid-19 testing, logistics and customer services available to support overseas holidays and those undertaking international travel.
Randox has a proud history of supporting sports, and has been the Official Partner of the, the Grand National since 2017.
Dr. Peter FitzGerald CBE, Randox Chief Executive Officer, said;
“We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunity to align Randox with Sheffield United Football Club. Not only is Sheffield the birthplace of football, but it is also one of the fastest growing cities in developing sports science and medical technology which we are very keen to see how we can look to assist through our services. We are extremely proud to be the principal partner of the Blades and to be a part of the club’s progress in the years to come.”
For press enquiries please contact Amy Millar in the Randox PR team on amy.millar@randox.com or 028 9442 2413
Want to know more?
Contact us or visit Randox Health.
Related COVID-19 Products and Services
HOME TEST
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COVID-19 Testing Service Testimonial: The Irish Football Association
COVID-19 Testing Service Testimonial: The Irish Football Association
As we move towards a new ‘normal’ and sporting organisations begin the process of restarting their games, many teams will be wondering how to ensure a safe and reassuring training environment for their players and their staff.
Thanks to our COVID-19 testing service, The Irish Football Association was able to facilitate a timely and efficient return to play by confirming their players as ‘COVID-safe.’
Our ‘Back to Business’ programme has enabled the IFA to demonstrate their commitment to their players, their staff, and their fans, as well as get back to business by ensuring the highest level of safety.
Corinne Lannie, Risk Manager at the Irish Football Association, commented;
“The test kits were very straightforward to use. The instructions were clear as was the YouTube guidance video. The recording onto the Randox system was easy and the speed of results was exceptional.
“The support provided by Paul (Randox Business Development Executive) was amazing – he was extremely helpful and supportive and really went above and beyond.”
At Randox, we offer two types of testing;
PCR (diagnostic) testing, and antibody testing, which can give an indication that an individual has been previously infected with COVID-19.
Sample collection services are available.
David Hallendorff, Business Relations Manager at Randox Health commented;
“Collectively we are all working towards a timely return to a more normal society, which will see companies reopening and people returning to work.
“To facilitate this recovery of the economy, without compromising the health of workers or of the wider general public, workplaces have a responsibility to provide a safe working environment.
“It is great to see so many companies putting the health of their staff as a priority and taking a proactive approach to testing.”
To find out more about our Back to Business COVID-19 Testing Service, please email info@randoxhealth.com or phone 0800 2545 130
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Link between cocaine and disorder at football games
There has been an established link between disorder at football games and increasing cocaine use in society, according to Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the UK’s lead on football policing. Over the past two seasons, disorder at football matches has increased (45%), and has been linked to the increase prevalence of cocaine use inside stadiums.
According to the Home Office, 2.6% of 16 – 59 year olds took cocaine in 2017-18, up 2.4% in 2013-14. The drug in the UK is becoming cheaper, purer and more accessible than before. A senior football official said, when speaking with The Independent, that it is the “massive elephant in the room”, with police sources claiming that it is “rife” at football grounds across the country.
Football policing units carry out drug checks inside football stadiums with drug detection dogs and swabbing areas such as toilets. Arrests are made at the football grounds for drug possession. In 2017, cocaine related arrests at football grounds more than doubled from 32 to 68. These numbers may seem small, however DCC Mark Roberts says a reduction in match day policing, due to budget constraints, is the reason for these low numbers. 50% of games are either police-free (11.3%) or spotter only (39.3%).
Inspector Andy Bridgewater, the head of West Midlands’ Police football unit, believes there is a real cocaine problem stating that “there is a really strong correlation today between cocaine use and football-related violence.”
Overall disorder incidents at matches jumped 36% in 2016-17 and again last year, while cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales increased in 2017 for the sixth year in a row, from 112 in 2011 to 432 in 2017.
Using Randox Toxicology’s revolutionary Biochip Array Technology, the Evidence MultiSTAT is an automated analyser that enables detection of a wide variety of multiple drug groups and provides simultaneous on-site screening with our CE marked urine and blood panels. As minimal sample preparation is required, qualitative results can be provided in less than 20 minutes, offering an effective toxicology screen for cocaine and other drugs/drug metabolites.
To find out more about the Evidence MultiSTAT and our Biochip Array Technology visit www.randoxtoxicology.com or get in touch at info@randoxtoxicology.com.
We Are Randox | Match Report from FinTrU Ulster GAA Inter-Firms Junior Men’s Competition
On Saturday 17th November 2018, hot on the heels of the Randox GAA Ladies team’s glorious competition début, our Men’s team took to the field at the Tyrone GAA Centre of Excellence, to compete in the Junior Men’s category of the FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition.
With our Ladies team having successfully reached the Semi-Finals of the competition the week prior, the pressure was on!
The two Randox Men’s teams were pooled in separate groups with strong opposition in both. Randox Team One faced a tough task with FinTru, Citi and South West College, whilst the second Randox Team were pitted against the GAA Store, Premier Electric and Belfast Lawyers.
Our Randox teams battled hard during this group stage and thanks to a creative team effort as well as some fantastic individual performances, they both made it to the knockout stages of the competition and into the quarter finals. Unfortunately though, the effort put in to make it out of the group stages had claimed a few key players to injury, which left the remaining men with a near impossible task ahead of them in the next stage of the competition
Team One was drawn against FinTru and Team Two against Belfast Lawyers. Regrettably, on the day both teams came out on the wrong side of the results in very competitive games against very experienced and seasoned teams.
John James Fallon, Randox Electrical Engineer and GAA Bainisteoir / Coach, commented;
“As newly-formed teams, who prior to the Inter-Firms competition had never played together before, both the men and ladies should be extremely proud. Fielding players who ranged from experienced to novice, and with only 5 weeks training, to have reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals of our respective categories has been exceptional.
“On behalf of the organising committee I would like to say thank you to Randox and Dr FitzGerald for their assistance in getting the team started, and to St James GAC Aldergrove for the use of their facilities and equipment over the course of the training sessions, as without their help this would not have been possible. Finally, a huge thank you has to go to the participants themselves, as without you there is no Randox GAA club. I’m looking forward to our next season together already.
“This is just the beginning.”
On behalf of everyone at Randox we would like to wish both our Ladies GAA Team and our two Men’s GAA teams a massive congratulations on their impressive performances at the FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition.
Their commitment, perseverance and teamwork has been truly inspiring and we are very proud of how they came together to form three very capable and motivated GAA teams. Well done!
For further information on our Randox GAA teams, please email johnjames.fallon@randox.com
We Are Randox | Randox’s very own Secret Footballer, Corey McMullan
Follow football? Then you won’t want to miss our exclusive interview with Glentoran player Corey McMullan.
Mathematics placement student Corey recently signed a two year contract with the prestigious Belfast football team and took some time out during the off season to talk to us about his football journey to date.
Read Corey’s story below.
“I’ve always been into sports. When I was younger I played football, tennis, badminton…I had a go at everything really but football has always been my main passion. Some of my best memories are of the Milk Cup which is held up in the north coast. I was captain of the Derry/Londonderry team and we played against some of the biggest teams in the world including CSKA Moscow and the Corinthians from Brazil. The following year I represented Northern Ireland in the Under 18s Centenary Shield. I think getting to play for your nation is a great honour and what it made it even more sweet was the fact that we beat the Republic in Sligo on St Patrick’s Day by scoring a last minute winner.
The first team that I played for was Limivady United and then when I was nineteen I moved to Ballyclare Comrades. I’m originally from Coleraine but I knew that the Ballyclare team had a good reputation and were good at giving young players a chance on the field. I decided to go and play for them – even though it took me an hour to get to training every week.
I played with them for one year and won ‘Player of the Month’ for the NIFL championship in January before I moved to Glentoran. We had just finished playing the Institute FC in a play-off game in a home and away over two legs and I scored the winner. It was after that game that the manager from Glentoran, Gary Haveron, got in touch. He had been watching the play-off and invited me down to The Oval where I signed my two year contract.
My family were buzzing when I told them I had been signed; they take a big interest in my football and my dad has never missed a match. I feel like I’m ready for it now. I’ve been playing since I was 16 and playing for Glentoran is a great opportunity for me.
We haven’t been told who the first fixture is against but I have already played my debut in Detroit. It was for the fiftieth anniversary of the Detroit Cougars, when Glentoran, representing NI, went to America to raise the profile of football there. The Glentoran squad exceeded everyone’s expectations as they were the only semi-professional football team that were brought over at that time and they did really well. Going as part of this team in 2017 was a great experience and it was the first time that I met all the boys on the squad. I started the game which drew in a crowd of 5 thousand people. It was such a big crowd which I didn’t expect. It was a bit surreal.
While we were in the US we went to Third Man Records, a famous records store in Detroit. Usually part of the initiation process when joining a new club involves an embarrassing sing along. So while we were in the record store I sang a rendition of ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams for all the lads. Personally I’m more of a shower singer but it was a bit of craic and a few other guys got up after me. We also got to meet Scott Benson, a Detroit city councilman, and we went on a tour of the city.
Although I’ve always been a keen football player I’m also lucky to be decent at maths and I have tutored for friends and family. You never know where football can take you so in the meantime I’m currently doing my placement year at Randox, working in the Pricing and Tenders department.
I found the opportunity through the university careers portal and at the time I didn’t know that maths could take you into these areas but I’m finding out that a good maths degree can open a lot of doors. I had heard of Randox before as my uncle had previously worked for them and was involved in the early developments of the Randox Science Park. I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to pursue at university, I had been interested in languages and science but maths was probably my best subject. It sounds simple but that’s honestly the way it was!
It’s been a great experience – I get along with my team very well and I am enjoying the work. I’ve had real hands-on experience during my placement year and I have found that the further I get into my degree the more options are becoming available. I was thinking of doing a masters in maths and also considering doing a PGCE in maths, but I haven’t quite made my mind up about that one yet.
It can be tough trying to balance work and football but I do manage it fit it all in. This past year I’ve been up from 6.30am to get to work and I usually stay on late because I have training after work in Belfast or Crumlin until 8.30pm. After training, I do my own training and practice my shooting to improve my game.
I support Man United as a team but the players whose careers I’d like to emulate would be Pogba and Steven Gerrard. They both play centre mid field and have a similar game to me. Gerrard is a good athlete – there are a lot of guys who can attack and defend but Gerrard is an all-rounded mid fielder. Currently it’s the off season but the pre-season is fast approaching and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing where my football career will take me.”
For more We Are Randox stories make sure to follow #WeAreRandox on our social media channels.
If you are interested in joining our global team make sure that you check out the Randox careers website to see what new opportunities we have for you.
