Sports Direct, COPA90 & England Stars ‘Girls Don’t Like Football’ Women’s Euros Equality Campaign

Sports retailer Sports Direct teamed up with football-focused creative and media company Copa90 to champion soccer equality and inclusivity via a multi-million-pound integrated campaign called ‘Girls Don’t Like Football, We Love It!’.

Rolling out across the UK in June and July and built around its ambassador alliances with former and current England Football stars, the campaign leverages interest in and excitement around UEFA Euro 22 by driving the visibility of players, coaches and women in football.

Aiming to spark an emotive reaction by men and women everywhere, the core creative idea subverts the fallacy that ‘Girls Don’t Like Football’ by celebrating and showing the passion women have for the game – despite facing multiple barriers and challenges – and inviting the next generation to see football as a future for them.

The campaign demonstrates that in spite of all the barriers, there is a rising tide of women who absolutely love the game, showcasing the next generation of women that football is an option for them.

The campaign spanned TV, OOH, in-store, content, media and influencer strands.

It features a strong line-up of current England Lionesses and WSL players including Millie Bright, Jess Carter, Lauren Hemp, Ellen White, Alessia Russo, Nikita Parris and Georgia Stanway, as well as Australia captain and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr and Arsenal star and Sweden skipper Stina Blackstenius. Today’s stars appear alongside authentic football faces from the community – including players from Forest Green Rovers and Kingsley FC women’s teams – and members of England’s first ever Lionesses squad from back in 1971.

The hero, 60-second ‘Girls Don’t Like Football, We Love It’ spot debuted on 30 June.

The spot was helmed by Agile Films Director Yoni Lappin, with photography by Danika Magdelena, while the print assets were developed by Jasmin Sehra and Fake Empire and take a strong stance against traditional football advertising by featuring hand drawn bright and distinctive typography, colours and borders.

In the strategic planning stage, Sports Direct worked with Copa90 on a set of in-depth interviews with fans, grassroots teams, elite players and managers to evaluate the women’s football landscape from the bottom up.

This identified a unifying truth; the superstar players are not just playing for a trophy, they are playing for the legacy of the game. And it was evident there was an insatiable passion for the women’s game that mainstream culture has yet to recognise or celebrate.

“What flowed naturally from the brief was a campaign that addressed this archaic misconception that ‘girls don’t like football,’ playfully countering it,” added Chief Creative Officer at Copa90 Gavind Rowe. “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.”

“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,” said Sports Direct CMO Beckie Stanion. “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.”

Comment

The flagship campaign follows on from other Sports Direct women’s football creative content to continue engagement rolling out across the brand’s social channels through July fronted by England legend Kelly Smith and current stars such as Jess Carter and Lauren Hemp.