UEFA Partner Starling Bank Unveils First Women’s Fantasy Football Game For Euro 2022

As part of its UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 sponsorship, Starling Bank launched the first ever Fantasy Football game designed specifically for a women’s tournament and teamed up with former England international Rachel Yankey to promote the initiative ahead of the event’s 6 July kick-off.

The digital challenger bank initiative followed on from bespoke research – in the form of a commissioned survey of 2000 UK adults conducted by Opinium – which found that 63% of the UK public believe women’s football should have the same exposure as men’s football. So the tournament’s official banking partner is targeting the 20% of British adults who responded and said they would be interested in a tournament-specific Fantasy Football game for Euro 2022.

The web based activation is being promoted across both property owner and sponsor digital and social channels and through a major PR push across the UK.

As the only bank in the UK founded by a woman, equality is in our DNA – which is why we're excited to champion women across Europe as the Official National Banking Partner for @UEFAWomensEURO

Watch this space for more
#WEURO2022 #OurTime @WEUROTicketing

— Starling Bank (@StarlingBank) May 16, 2022

There are hundreds of Fantasy Football games for men’s tournaments, but there's never been one for the UEFA Women’s EURO.

So, we decided to do something about it.

We’ve built a Fantasy Football game for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022!#OurTime #WEURO2022 https://t.co/fpSwzSIXHq

— Starling Bank (@StarlingBank) June 28, 2022

“For players of my generation – and before – there wasn't money in the game. You were doing it because of your passion.”

Sports writer @VaiBhardwaj interviewed legendary player and Starling ambassador @rachelyankey11 for our blog ⚽#OurTime #WEURO2022 https://t.co/O6uTWUJAsg

— Starling Bank (@StarlingBank) June 23, 2022

Starling, the first UK bank to be founded by a woman (former Allied Irish Bank Chief Operating Officer Anne Boden) when it opened in 2014, also partnered with Girls on the Ball to provide relevant, insightful match analysis on the 16 participating teams for players.

Girls on the Ball, which was founded by two passionate British women’s soccer fans in 2012, offer’s experience and deep-rooted expert analysis of women’s football (built upon the top leagues in England, the Scottish Premier League and the FAI Women’s National League in Ireland, as well as the FA Cup, Continental Cup and Champions League games and internationals.

When @StarlingBank told us about their plans for a #WEuro2022 Fantasy Football, we jumped at the chance to get involved.

We will be providing some of our tips and insights over the next 5 weeks to aid you in building your team.

Don't miss out on joining in ⬇️#OurTime https://t.co/1LQr1yWDz7

— Girls on the Ball (@GirlsontheBall) June 29, 2022

“I’m so excited to build my first Fantasy Team that features England Lionesses. When I was growing up there was nothing like this. I hope that fans both young and old can enjoy building their teams and embrace the journey that women’s football has been on to get to where it is today,” said Rachel Yankey at the activation launch event.

“As a youngster, I shaved my hair and pretended to be a boy just to fit in. Nowadays, the final for this tournament has already sold out Wembley Stadium before a ball has even been kicked. However, the playing field isn’t level yet – every move toward equality makes a big difference.”

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While Yankey was honoured in June 2021 by Snapchat with an augmented reality (AR) statue in recognition of her role as one of the most influential Black players in British football.