UEFA Launches European Women's Football Campaign ‘Together #Weplaystrong’

On Wednesday 31st May, UEFA will launch its first pan-European creative campaign for women’s football. The campaign, titled Together #WePlayStrong, is designed to transform the image of women’s football across Europe and to encourage more teenage girls, aged between 13 to 17, to take up and keep playing football. UEFA, with support from its 55 National Associations, is aiming to make football the number one played sport for women across Europe within 5 years.  

The creative concept was backed up by academic research commissioned by UEFA from the University of Birmingham. The largest study of its kind investigated the psychological, physical and emotional benefits for girls playing football. Via Mongoose Sport and Entertainment, the findings have been widely publicised ahead of the creative launch. The research demonstrates that playing football can significantly boost confidence, happiness, and self-image, helping young girls to make friends and learn vital life skills.  

Directed by award-winning Kibwe Tavares through Nexus Studios and with animation created by Factory Fifteen (partly developed using Google Tilt Brush), the 90 second film launches online on Wednesday 31st May. The TV campaign breaks the day after during the UEFA Women’s Champions League final between Olympique Lyonnais & Paris Saint Germain in Cardiff. Further TV spots will follow, including being broadcast during the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday 3rd of June, with an average of 160 million viewers worldwide watching live as Juventus take on holders Real Madrid. 

A social media campaign will roll out throughout the rest of the year across a range of new digital platforms designed to appeal to girls, utilising extensive new tools and assets for girls to share and become the star of the campaign. Furthermore, an extensive library of photography and content will be available for the 55 National Associations to use to change the image of women’s football in their respective countries. UEFA have engaged with a wide range of ambassadors, celebrities and influencers from the world of sport, music, fashion and film such as Alex Morgan, Eden Hazard, and Astrid S to lend their voices to the campaign. 

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA said “Launching the Together #WePlayStrong marketing campaign is a result of UEFA’s strategic plan to grow the game. With the support of our 55 National Associations and the European Commission, we aim to make women’s football the number one sport in Europe. The campaign will be inherently social to maximise appeal to our teenage audience through new partnerships and new platforms to engage girls where they are, with content they want to see and share.” 

Sharon Jiggins, Managing Director at FCB Inferno said, “Our creative approach is to challenge current prejudices of the game by showing how cool girls’ football really is. Featuring a cast of girls from grass roots level to Sporting Lisbon’s professional team, we wanted to showcase brilliant skills and the sense of togetherness girls get from the game on and off the pitch.  At an age when selfesteem can be at its most fragile, football provides girls with a powerful boost in confidence.”