How These Goals Represent Football’s Double Standards
The Women’s World Cup is set to kick off shortly, but it seems that we haven’t got quite the amount of buzz around it as we expected. With the men’s version usually prompting big campaigns, sponsorships, merch and general hype around the event, it seems that the women’s celebrations are proving to be a little more subdued so far.
Tackling the issue of inequality head on, the sponsor of the Dutch women’s league, financial institution ING, asked TBWA\NEBOKO to create a campaign that supported the brand’s commitment to inclusivity. As a result, the creatives at the agency decided to showcase the differences in treatment through misshapen goals, highlighting the multiple challenges women face to get the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
As the team spoke to women in the sport, they found that 70% felt both disregarded and disadvantaged by the lack of visibility and actual opportunities. Therefore, the issue of having different pitches, fewer coaching opportunities and seeing far less sponsorship needed to be tackled head on. To further emphasise things, the goals are being taken on a tour of the Netherlands throughout the summer and particularly around the time of the tournament. Hoping for a little audience participation, perhaps by physically seeing the disadvantages, more people will push for a change.
Speaking with LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about the campaign are TBWA\NEBOKO’s creatives Hannah Sterke and Nina Mispelblom Beyer, who share a behind the scenes look at the spot.
LBB> With the Women’s World Cup around the corner, can you tell us a little bit about the teams in the Netherlands and the disparity between men’s and women’s football?
Hannah & Nina> In the Netherlands, the inequality between men and women is staggering. Men tend to receive better coaching, more training opportunities, and bigger sponsorship support. This inequality begins early on, girls often find themselves having to change alongside the referee, whereas boys have dedicated dressing rooms. Boys are privileged to play on the main fields of their clubs, while girls are forced to play the fields all the way in the back. Because of this, women and girls face a challenge in enjoying their beloved sport and attaining success at the highest levels.
LBB> What are some of the unique challenges that Dutch girls and women in football face and how did you want to tackle them in this spot?
Hannah & Nina> While our goals make a statement on the challenges we addressed in the first question, in our spot we wanted to highlight women’s strength. The fact that the odds are so greatly against us and we can still win a European championship and women’s soccer is growing stronger every day, is proof that we are a force to be reckoned with. The spot shows this as well. Our heroes walk onto the field, and are somewhat taken aback by the weirdly shaped goal, but they sure as hell won’t back down. They score and show they will keep fighting no matter the obstacles they face. It’s the story of these two professional soccer players, but also the reality of young girls and women across the Netherlands.
Hopefully, it will inspire them to keep pursuing their sports ambitions.
LBB> The campaign comes from ING who are highlighting the disparity in opportunities. How did they want to tackle the issue?
Hannah & Nina> ING is the head sponsor of the Dutch football association and therefore sponsor of the national teams and amateur clubs. This is why they can demand clubs change the rules and the way they divide the money. For example, ING insists that 25% of the sponsor fee should be spent on women’s soccer, to ensure for example better coaches and facilities. So they are doing a lot already. With this campaign, ING wanted to make a statement. To start a conversation during the Women’s World Cup about the inequality within football.
LBB> The goals you created highlight the inequality surrounding the sport. Can you share a little bit about the statistics which informed the campaign?
Hannah & Nina> We interviewed Lieke Martens and Aniek Nouwen, professional football players from the national team, who wasted no time in highlighting the lack of facilities and attention women receive in football. This served as the trigger for our investigation into the prevalence of these issues nationwide. We conducted surveys with numerous girls engaged in the sport, and the findings were clear: a staggering 70% expressed feelings of being disregarded and disadvantaged, underscoring the presence of inequality and bias.
LBB> When it came to creating the actual goals, how did you logistically begin the process?
Hannah & Nina> We came up with this idea in the very last week before the deadline, so logistically it was quite a hassle to create the goals in time. Our head of production began by seeking out a party that could make our oddly shaped goals. This had to be done within seven days because we were dependent on Lieke Martens and Aniek Nouwen’s tight schedules. Thankfully, we found someone crazy enough to make our ideas come to life. They had to work day and night to finish them on time but the result is absolutely amazing. The goals are a sight to behold. We are very happy with it.
LBB> How did you first land on the idea of using oddly shaped goals to prove your point?
Hannah & Nina> We wanted to highlight this inequality visually in a way that would fit the football aesthetic. It made sense to use the one thing that symbolises scoring and let that reflect the unfairness. We almost wondered if it was TOO simple. But it just clicked.
What made it even cooler was that it is a physical thing, not a digital product. So it is interactive and almost like an art piece. The perfect conversation starter.
LBB> We’ve certainly seen a lot less exposure for this World Cup than the Euros that went past. Can you tell us what you hoped to achieve through this spot?
Hannah & Nina> We hoped for a conversation piece. Because a conversation can create change. Next to the conversation we wanted to make a spot that highlights the problem but projects women as powerful, and a force to be reckoned with.
The goals themselves are both remarkable to look at and challenging at the same time, you almost want to try them and experience this inequality.
LBB> How did you land on the players you featured in the spot? What was their reaction to the campaign?
Hannah & Nina> ING is the main sponsor of the women’s national football team, so our cast was a given. We were really pleased about it though because Lieke Martens is one of the most famous female football players in the world. Of course, both players had to agree with our campaign, they could have refused but they loved it. They totally agreed with the idea to highlight the inequality and found the goals a creative and simple way to do that.
LBB> What was the most challenging aspect of creating each oddly shaped goal?
Hannah & Nina> We did a lot of design iterations to find the perfect shapes. You want them to be challenging. Hence, for our hero goal, we took out the left and right corners because there you have the highest chance of scoring. It felt logical to change the shape of those corners, because that’s what raises the challenge and makes it truly unfair. We’ve seen it in real life, put a keeper in the middle and you will have a very hard time.
Also, transporting them from place to place was quite a challenge. We had to rent multiple trucks to take them from point A to point B. The people on the highway must’ve enjoyed the show.
LBB> Why were you keen to take the goals on tour and how will they help to emphasise the message?
Hannah & Nina> This campaign is all about making the inequality between men and women tangible. By touring around with the goals we can let others feel how it is when the odds are against you, and make them experience that frustration. It doesn’t matter if you’re an amazing soccer player, when the obstacles are this unfair you will have a hard time.
LBB> Where can people get a chance to see the touring goals?
Hannah & Nina> We had a big kick-off match in the centre of the Netherlands, Utrecht. The match was between influencers so we got a big reach. The goals travelled after this event. They were seen at the send-off game, they were a set item on a big Dutch sports TV show during the World Cup and over the summer. The guests of the show would talk about the goals and the inequality. And lastly, they will be taken to amateur clubs to start a conversation between younger players, their parents and coaches.
