Orange Celebrates 100+ Years of Fight for Women’s Football

To mark UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, Orange, a partner of the French women’s national football team, has launched a bold and meaningful campaign with Publicis Conseil. It delivers a powerful and necessary reminder: if ‘Les Bleues’ can shine today, it’s because generations of women fought to earn their place on the pitch.

For over a hundred years, women’s football has been defined by many relentless fights, to exist, to be recognised, to simply be allowed on the pitch. And those fights are far from over.

Through a striking new film, Orange retraces the major milestones in the history of women’s football in France. From creation, to the ban on women’s football under the Vichy regime in 1941 to the first official recognition by the French Football Federation in 1971, then the first international match and Marinette Pichon becoming the first professional player in 2002. Each chapter highlights the scale of the obstacles overcome. Archive footage is blended with contemporary scenes to capture the intensity of the movement, the roughness of the clashes, the unbroken passion, and that same fierce desire to play, in defiance of everything and everyone.

This film is more than a tribute. It is a declaration.

It speaks to all women who love the game, fans or not, and resonates with their own stories. Because the history of women’s football is also a story of emancipation.
And even today, outdated prejudices still linger.

“This film pays tribute to all those who paved the way, often in the shadows and in silence. By telling this story with truth and emotion, we wanted to show that sport is a space for struggle, for achievement, and for legacy. This is a work of memory, but also a vision for the future.” said Kamel Makhloufi and Julien Colas, creative directors, Publicis Conseil.
The campaign continues with a series of exclusive interviews featuring key figures in French football: Marinette Pichon, Sonia Bompastor, Camille Abily, Laura Georges, Laure Boulleau, Michelle Wolf, and Stéphanie Frappart. Each shares her personal journey, the challenges, the victories, and what “fighting to play” has meant in her life as a woman.

In women’s magazines, Orange launches a visually striking print activation: on a double page spread, real press clippings from the 1920s display the sexist narratives of the time, claiming that sport was “unsuitable for the female body” or “harmful to their health.” On the opposite page, a player from the French national team tackles these very words as she would on the field. A bold and symbolic way of showing that these outdated beliefs have no place today.

“At Orange, we believe that sport can drive progress in society. By celebrating the fight for women’s right to play, we are supporting “Les Bleues” in their quest for a first major title and standing with all women who push boundaries every day.” said Quentin Delobelle, director of commercial communications at Orange France.

In 2023, Orange tackled the clichés about women’s football.

In 2025, the brand deepens its commitment by shedding light on more than a century of resistance, passion, and relentless determination.