Heineken Celebrates the Modern Face of Football Fandom with Virgil Van Dijk and Jill Scott MBE

Heineken® is kicking off the UEFA knockout stages with its new campaign building on the established ‘Fresher Football’ platform that aims to make football more inclusive. 

The brand has been working to level the playing field by campaigning to make the sport a more positive and welcoming space to enjoy football together. This new campaign has set its sights on refreshing what it really means to be a hardcore fan, reclaiming this badge of honour that has for too long been associated with negative behaviour in football.  

“There’s a minority of football fans that can spoil the game for everyone else, giving “hardcore” fans a bad name,” said Nabil Nasser, global head of Heineken® Brand, “But those problematic few don’t represent the majority. Our new campaign is a witty twist on the “hardcore fan” stereotype, showing instead what hardcore fandom really looks like, celebrating the diverse group of people who truly live and breathe the sport in a positive, and sometimes quirky way.”

At the heart of the campaign is a film created by Australian director Mark Molloy. It represents the true face of modern football fandom. The comedic and heartwarming film, inspired by real fans, shows the devotion people have to supporting the beautiful game. 

“Heineken® has once again taken a clear creative stance, stepping down from any brand self celebration, focusing its commitment towards its extraordinary community. The campaign is an ode to realness, playfulness, and irreverent genius, yet an incredible opportunity to differentiate the creative point of view. Football as seen through the lenses of its fans shifts perspective and portrays a compelling and unexpected narrative. Hardcore fans are football’s key element, strong socializers, conversation enablers who honour the game with unconditional love and out-of-the-ordinary rituals and inventiveness”, said Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of Le pub, global CCO of Publicis Worldwide, CCO of Publicis Groupe Italy. 

Virgil van Dijk captain of the Netherlands national men’s team alongside existing ambassador Jill Scott MBE, former Lioness have joined forces on this next chapter in Heineken®’s drive for inclusivity in football.

“I used to go to The Stadium of Light with my granddad almost every weekend without fail, come rain or shine,” said Jill Scott MBE, “But when you think about what a hardcore football fan looks like, most people don’t picture a teenage girl. That’s what I love about Heineken®’s new campaign. It’s showing you what real football fans look like and playing on people’s expectations of who a real ‘hardcore’ fan is.” 

Virgil van Dijk said; “The ‘Real Hardcore’ fans make me proud and appreciative as a player. I think reclaiming this phrase is important, the historic negative connotations are something we need to remove from the game, no one is born a racist, I think the key things to make change are education and communicating with each other. I hope we can be part of that change, that’s why I’m glad Heineken® is challenging the perception of what a real fan is to show there is a place for everyone in the game.”

To emphasise the message of supporting inclusive hardcore fandom, Heineken® has set aside seats at the UEFA Champions League Final for a select few real hardcore fans that share their stories with us. The winners will be provided with a once-in-a-lifetime final weekend experience. To learn more about the competition and to get involved, visit here. 

The campaign will be launched globally with a 90” seconds TVC, along with key visuals and video-pills published on Heineken and ambassadors’ social media channels. 

To learn more about how Heineken® is helping to refresh football perspectives and foster a more positive and inclusive experience for all fans, visit here.