Chelsea FC front-of-shirt sponsor Three teamed up with charity Samaritans in April for an in-stadium and player ambassador initiative aimed at getting fans to talk more openly about mental health titled ‘Talk More Than Football’.
The non-profit, cause campaign saw the telco and charity link up with a team of Chelsea legends – including Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Eiður Guðjohnsen and Gary Cahill – who all took to the Stamford Bridge pitch during halftime for the 15 April home game against Brighton alongside three lifelong Chelsea fans wearing official Chelsea club jerseys with the Samaritans helpline number – 116 123 – clearly written out on the back of each shirts.
The on-pitch appearance and matching on-screen messaging sought to drive awareness of the problem, of the charity’s helpline and aimed to encourage encouraging supporters – particularly men – to open up about their mental health.
The Stamford Bridge activation saw club main sponsor Three support charity partner Samaritans – an organisation devoted to helping anyone struggling to cope 24/7/365.
The initiative was amplified across the pitch, via PR and across the various stakeholders social platforms linked through the #TalkMoreThanFootball hashtag.
Men are 4x more likely to talk about football than their mental health, it’s time we #TalkMoreThanFootball. We’ve teamed up with Samaritans to encourage us all to check in with a mate. If you’re struggling to cope, @samaritans is there for you. Call free 116 123 pic.twitter.com/UlGeJuMjUE
— Three UK (@ThreeUK) April 20, 2023
Fans and viewers are also encouraged to donate to Samaritans by texting TALKMORE to 70470 to donate £5 and for every donation made Three will match each one up to £20,000.
The initiative was conceived and executed with creative agency Wonderhood Studios: which proactively came up with the idea of the takeover by bringing together the triumvirate of Three, Chelsea and Samaritans for the first time. The agency worked with the PR outfit Mischief to amplify the initiative’s reach.
Creative agency Wonderhood Studios’ team included Creatives Tad Buxton and India Penny, Creative Directors Ben Edwards and Guy Hobbs, Chief Creative Officer Aidan McClure, Data Strategist Jack Colchester, Strategist Rob Jennings, Strategy Director Joe Harris, Account Manager Tara Lidstone, Account Director Eddy Yan, Business Director David White, Designers Simon Elvins and Tobias Bschorr, plus Project Manager Dee Antoniou.
Production was by Generation and PR was handled by Mischief where the team included Account Director Kitt Smith, Creative Director Greg Double and Associate Chloe August.
Three UK Director Of Marketing Aislinn O’Connor added: “Through our partnerships with Samaritans and Chelsea Football Club, Three has the unique opportunity to start a conversation amongst football fans that goes beyond more than just football. Our research revealed that Brits are almost twice as likely to talk about football than their mental wellbeing. Sport is incredibly powerful and we at Three want to harness the amazing community that exists in football and highlight the importance of speaking to, and supporting those around us when we need it most. As a mobile network, we’re incredibly proud to help connect people through their phones every day and highlight the importance of speaking to and supporting those around us when they need it most.”
Samaritans Executive Director For External Engagement Sonya Trivedy said: “Football fans can talk endlessly about formations, offsides, and VAR decisions but often find it harder to open up about the really important things, such as their own mental health. The halftime takeover is a great way to help tackle the stigma around talking about difficult feelings, which is more important than ever before. We’re proud that our partner, Three UK, shares our belief in the power of human connection and we’re grateful for this wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and funds for Samaritans’ life-saving service.”
“Mental health needs to be talked about. We’re incredibly proud to be able to deliver proactive ideas like this to help people start talking when they need it the most,” commented Wonderhood Studios Joint ECD Guy Hobbs.
Chelsea FC president Of Business Tom Glick stated: “We are very proud to be able to stand alongside Three and Samaritans to promote such an important cause. For our fans here in the UK, and those around the world, football is something that brings them together and has the ability to give them a true sense of community. Through campaigns like today’s and the incredible work being done in the community by the Chelsea Foundation, we will continue to create a more open and caring community for our fans”
Comment
This on-pitch, cause-led activation followed on from fresh research commissioned by Three which found that 88% of the UK nation agrees that sport brings people together, that 80% believe that football does this the most out of any sport, but that British people are twice as likely to talk about football (55%) than about their mental wellbeing (24%) and that this reluctance to share and talk is four times as unlikely amongst men.
Indeed, the study found that only one in 10 men see sport as an opportunity to discuss how they’re doing at a deeper level: 30% say that ‘don’t feel comfortable and never speak about their mental wellbeing at sporting events’.
The importance of the message and its ability to drive behavioural change is illustrated by the fact that suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 and men under 50.
This Three/Samaritans/Chelsea initiative followed on from the England women’s national team – the Lionesses – which also saw the players’ names on the back of their shirts replaced by Alzheimer’s Society branding. The idea was to highlight the impact of dementia with a nameless shirt campaign during the 11 April England v Australia women’s match.
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