5 October saw Puma and Copa90 launch a monthly editorial content series and documentary following the journey of Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir – a midfielder for Olympique Lyonnais and captain of Iceland’s national team – from pregnancy and back to elite football.
Produced by Copa90 for the German sportswear brand, the monthly content began in early October and will roll out through to July 2022. It will see the player document her training schedule, advice and expert guidance from professionals on her body changes through the process and her recovery post-pregnancy and it will provide a glimpse into her life as a new mother as she balances family life with her professional career.
According to Puma, the multi-channel social content and documentary videos will provide fans with never-before-seen access into the life of a professional female athlete as she combines parenthood and elite level sport.
The content series launched on 4 October on Copa90’s Instagram, Twitter and TikTok channels, with the documentary teaser also posted on the company’s YouTube as well as Puma’s channels.
The documentary will be helmed by Directors Lawrence Tallis and Hannah Calverley and the final film will be released in summer 2022 and will feature interviews with Sara, her family, teammates and contributors offering insights into her progress.
“Female athletes face many challenges in their careers and pregnancy is one of those challenges. When Sara came to us with the news of her pregnancy, we wanted to support her in any way possible,” said Puma General Manager BU Teamsport Matthias Baeumer. “Sara decided this would be a great opportunity to give insight into her journey and show female athletes that you can be a top athlete and still have a family. We are thrilled Sara asked us to be involved in the process and proud Sara is sharing her experiences as she hopes to inspire female athletes around the world.”
Simon Joyce, Chief Business Officer of Copa90, added: “This is a really important story to tell as it affects women the world over. We are really excited to work with PUMA and Sara to follow her journey and hope it raises awareness not only of the challenges that women face but the incredible strength and dedication it takes to be an elite female athlete.”
Comment:
Elite female athletes face challenges on multiple fronts regarding pregnancy and their return to work: an issue which has been the topic of wider scrutiny in recent years.
While there is a growing movement promoting the benefits of exercising during pregnancy, many women are having to advocate for themselves more openly than ever – both from a cultural perspective and for changes in policies including their eligibility to compete and maternity pay.
There have been plenty of accusation against brands and governing bodies over the lack of support for athletes during pregnancy.
Indeed, Iceland goalkeeper Gudbjorg Gunnarsdóttir kept her three-year IVF process secret from her management and teammates and even faked injury to cover up the physical impact the procedure was having upon her, before airing her frustrations about feeling judged for her priorities returning to the game and the need to rush returning to work in order to negotiate a contract.
While in 2019 Allyson Felix, who is also a P&G endorser for Pantene and has fronted campaigns such as ‘What’s Your Legacy’ and ‘Lead With Love’ and , became an ambassador for the Gap-owned leisurewear Athleta brand after speaking out against Nike’s maternity policies.
Since then Nike itself has launched motherhood-centric campaigns such as ‘The Toughest Athletes’, while US Open sponsor JP Morgan Chase has also marketed around the theme in tandem with endorser Serena Williams with work such as ‘Win As A Mother And An Athlete’ and ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’.
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