• Sports Direct is launching “Girls Don’t Like Football, WE LOVE IT”, continuing the brand’s mission to make sport equal for all, harnessing the inclusive energy of EURO 22
• The multi-million-pound campaign will cover TV, OOH, in-store, content, media and influencers

 Sports Direct has launched “Girls Don’t Like Football, WE LOVE IT”, a new multi-million pound creative campaign that will sit across TV, OOH, in-store, content, media and influencers.

Continuing the brand’s mission to make sport equal for all, the campaign aims to harness the energy of EURO 22 to drive the visibility of players, coaches and women in football and unleash a new generation of female ballers, with the number of women and girls playing football rising 54% to over 3.4m.

At the forefront of the campaign is a new TV commercial, which subverts the fallacy that ‘Girls Don’t Like Football’, demonstrating and celebrating the passion women in this country have for the beautiful game. The content intends to spark an emotive reaction from men and women everywhere, re-establishing football as an inclusive sport for everybody. It shows that in spite of all barriers, there is a rising tide of women who absolutely love the game and invites the next generation of women to see that football is an option for them.

The commercial and wider campaign assets feature real faces from the football community, including those from Forest Green Rovers and Kingsley FC as well as England’s first ever Lionesses from 1971 and the players today leading the charge for future generations: Stina Blackstenius, Millie Bright, Jess Carter, Lauren Hemp, Sam Kerr, Ellen White, Alessia Russo, Nikita Parris and Georgia Stanway.

Sports Direct worked with COPA90 to create the campaign, commissioning in-depth interviews with fans, grassroots teams, elite players and managers alike to evaluate the women’s football landscape from the bottom up. This research identified a unifying truth that superstar players are not just playing for a trophy, they are playing for the legacy of the game. It was also evident that there was an insatiable passion for the women’s game that mainstream culture has yet to recognise or celebrate, and it was this insight that helped to form the core creative of the campaign.

Beckie Stanion, Chief Marketing Officer Sports Direct, said: “Back in the day, only little boys were allowed to dream of being ballers. In modern Britain it’s the dream of young girls too. As we have seen, the cycle of momentum around the women’s game is driven by international tournaments, and in the past couple of years every aspect of the game has hit the accelerator. We wanted to create a campaign that used this tournament as a catalyst for a new era of women’s football in the UK.”

“What flowed naturally from the brief was a campaign that addressed this archaic misconception that ‘girls don’t like football’, playfully countering it. Consumers are first met with the tension of this idea which is then flipped on its head, done with a zealous rebuttal in the form of a celebration of the game that delivers a punchline of real truth” said Gavin Rowe, Chief Creative Officer at COPA90.

Today UEFA and The FA have announced LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, as the latest national sponsor of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, joining existing partners The LEGO Group, Pandora and Starling Bank. The tournament, which is due to be the biggest European women’s sporting event in history, will be hosted in England this summer from 6-31 July.

As a national sponsor of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, LinkedIn will spotlight the game’s female trailblazers who have supported one another on their path to professional success, inspiring everyone with their stories as it commits to ‘make work work for women.’

LinkedIn’s activations will demonstrate how the platform and its community can support women to achieve their goals, whatever their profession or industry, and drive content and conversations around women’s empowerment, leadership, wellbeing and diversity.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Director of Marketing at UEFA, said: “We are delighted to have LinkedIn join us as a national sponsor of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. The addition of this major brand further enhances what is already an extremely strong roster of commercial sponsors associated with the competition. This collaboration offers significant opportunities to further promote the competition through their platform and bring it to new audiences. We look forward to working together on what is set to be a record-breaking tournament that further grows the women’s game.”

Ngaire Moyes, Vice President, Communications and Brand, International at LinkedIn said: “At LinkedIn we’re championing a gender equal world that’s diverse and inclusive, and it’s a privilege to support UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 which actively shares and celebrates these values. The tournament is set to be a landmark event that will provide professional female footballers with a platform to showcase their remarkable talent and achievements. Off the field, we’re increasingly seeing sports professionals use LinkedIn to share interesting stories and insights into their careers, and we know how powerful they can be to encourage and inspire others.”

The announcement comes on the same day tournament organisers have launched the ‘Inspired By England 2022’ Instagram channel that will become the home to all inspiring stories and content from fans, sponsors, partners and community groups in the build up to the tournament and beyond. Join in the action and share your stories using @InspiredByEngland2022 and #WEURO2022.

With thanks to the FA

UEFA and The FA have announced that British pop sensations Ellie Goulding and Ella Henderson have been added to the star-studded line up for the UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022 Final Draw Show.

The show will be hosted by Alex Scott and Gabby Logan live on BBC One from 16.30 BST on 28 October and feature women’s football legends, Women’s Super League and Premier League stars.

Ellie Goulding said, “I’m so excited to be a part of a show that celebrates women’s football on a national and global scale. It was so incredible to see everyone come together for the men’s football EURO earlier this year and with the women’s tournament being held in major cities, hopefully this can be a real moment to bring everyone together to make this the biggest women’s tournament yet.”

Ella Henderson said, “I’m so happy to be part of a huge night for women’s football, as we countdown to the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2022. It’s amazing that this record-breaking tournament is right on our doorstep and I’m excited to see the buzz it creates for women’s sport, next summer.”

Following the show, fixtures will be confirmed and from 19.00 BST fans can then enter the public ballot and apply for tickets for all matches until 16 November 2021.

England 2022 venues

Brighton & Hove (Brighton & Hove Community Stadium)
London (Brentford Community Stadium & Wembley Stadium – final only)
Manchester (Manchester City Academy Stadium)
Milton Keynes (Stadium MK)
Rotherham (New York Stadium)
Sheffield (Bramall Lane)
Southampton (St Mary’s Stadium)
Old Trafford, Greater Manchester (Old Trafford – opening game)
Wigan & Leigh (Leigh Sports Village)

With thanks to the FA Press Office for UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022