GIRLS DON’T LIKE FOOTBALL

An international tournament on home soil: what better chance for Sports Direct - the place where so many in the UK start their sport journey - to launch their first campaign ever for female ballers?

Before EURO 22, we thoroughly researched women’s football culture in the UK on behalf of the brand.
Together with the amazing KJ, we interviewed fans, pros, amateurs, Chelsea FC’s then manager Emma Hayes (currently team USA) and a few other experts/legends.

What we found was a movement with an intense passion for the game, hindered by gender
stereotypes and pathways not designed with them in mind.

Our campaign flipped one of the most established clichés (how many times have you heard “girls don’t like this/this is for boys”?) and invited the next generation of women to see football as an exciting option.
It was brought to life via digital, TV, OOH, stores, merch and live events.

The research was condensed into a guide that our client used internally and with commercial partners.

Creative: Andy Demianyk, Aaron Lobb, Jasmine Sehra, Lawrence Tallis / Agency: COPA90