A pioneering marketing partnership between a newspaper and a football club gave the Royal British Legion one of its most high profile media opportunities for its annual Poppy Appeal.

The Leicester Mercury worked with Leicester City FC to stage the first ever Premiership match to officially commemorate Remembrance Sunday.

Featured live on Sky TV's coverage of Leicester against Blackburn Rovers, the highlight of the day was a half-time parade of war veterans around the ground.

Fans cheered as the veterans - who ranged from Second World War veterans to current servicemen and women - marched around the stadium to the sound of the pipes and drums from the Quorn Royal British Legion pipe band.

Both teams wore shirts specially embroidered for the day with The Royal British Legion's famous symbol, the poppy.

The coverage proved so successful that Sky is now looking to make a Remembrance-themed game an annual event.

Deputy editor Kay Drummond: "We broke the news about this exciting event several weeks in advance and built up to the day with some first-class editorial coverage, both on the news and sports pages.

"We wanted to raise awareness of the fantastic work that is carried out by the Royal British Legion and, at the same time, encourage people to give generously on the day."

In the run-up to the match, the Mercury had worked hand in hand with Leicester City and the British Legion to produce a series of promotions, including editorials on servicemen such as Jim Harrison who took part in the parade - a man who had to put his football career on hold during WW2 when called up to fight in Burma, yet returned to play for Leicester in 1946.

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