92 Football Fans Share Their Stories Alongside Danny Dyer and Josh Widdicombe to Celebrate the New Season

Sky Sports has released a new campaign to celebrate its biggest ever domestic football season, featuring a fan from each of the 92 Premier League and English Football League (EFL) clubs offering their messages of hope and pride ahead of the new football season.

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The campaign, which includes pieces of content and messages of support from a fan of each team, including a few famous faces, is designed to capture fan sentiment around the return to football. From Claymation to poetry and matchday pies, each supporter has been carefully selected to tell the story of their club.

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Stars from the world of sport and entertainment feature in the campaign alongside Justine Lorriman, the landlady at The Royal Dyche in Burnley, and supporters from Newcastle United’s deaf community – showcasing Sky’s commitment to the football family across the country.

Justine Lorriman, landlady of The Royal Dyche, offers a message of support to Burnley

Also amongst the 92 supporters is die-hard West Ham United fan, Danny Dyer, whose submission is an inspirational message to new manager, Julen Lopetegui, including a cheeky request for the Spaniard to build the team around his soon-to-be son-in-law, Jarrod Bowen.

Other stars to share their hopes for the new domestic season include comedian Josh Widdicombe, darts star Nathan Aspinall and boxer Joshua Buatsi – offering rallying cries to Plymouth Argyle, Stockport County and Crystal Palace respectively.

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The expressions of hope will be released across Sky Sports’ and participating fans’ respective social media platforms over a 10-day period, spanning the start of both the EFL and Premier League, and will also be supported by the clubs themselves.

The campaign is the brainchild of global football media brand COPA90, which has led on the creative, content production and fan relationships. PR agency Ready10 was brought on board to devise a media strategy and amplify the campaign from an earned media perspective.

Emma Thompson, group director of consumer engagement at Sky, said, “The start of the football season is not only a moment that matters to us at Sky, but also millions of fans up and down the country.”

“With more football than ever thanks to Sky Sports+ and the new EFL deal, we wanted an idea that could speak to fans right through from Premier League to League Two. That’s why we landed on hope as our red thread. To then see 92 fans come together and express their pride in their club and local communities under the umbrella of football on Sky has been really special.”

Ric Blank, creative director at COPA90 said, “Whether you’re a United fan or a Bromley obsessive, everyone carries that feeling of hope with them into the new season. To celebrate the start of the new season, COPA90 and Sky Sports travelled the length and breadth of the country to connect with the fans of all 92 clubs. We asked them a simple question: what are your hopes for the new season?”

“In response, they wrote songs, designed posters, flags, claymation models, penned letters and spoke from the heart, filled with pride, about their clubs. The result is 92 expressions of hope for the 24/25 season. Because whoever you support, this really could be your year.”

David Fraser, founder of Ready10 added, “The return of the football season is a hugely exciting time for fans, and also a period of hope and anticipation. The fan submissions to capture that feeling are powerful and creative, so we wanted to ensure they are seen beyond the world of social, and receive the attention they deserve via earned media too.”

As part of the campaign, Sky Sports has also produced a video telling the story of all 92 fans narrated by presenter and football personality, Chelcee Grimes, which is available to watch on YouTube, Instagram, X and TikTok. Supporters will also be able to get a closer look at the creations from their respective clubs as each team’s fan story will be released on Sky Sports’ social media channels up to Wednesday 14th August.

With the EFL season kicking off this week, the soon to launch Sky Sports+ will bring more football to fans than ever before, with supporters across the leagues able to watch their club at least 20 times this season. And once again, Sky Sports will be the home of the Premier League, with 128 games being broadcast live and exclusively throughout the season.

The campaign follows on from Sky Creative’s recent work, which has put a regional spotlight on EFL teams across the country, reflecting the unparalleled access fans now have with the new Sky Sports + dedicated channel, mobile app and live streams, all at no extra cost.