Nike has just released its anthem campaign for the Women’s Euros, featuring an all-star cast alongside up and coming grassroots players. Directed by Valentin Petit, the new film showcases the speed, technical ability and sheer quality in the women’s game which have never been higher.
Created by the team at Wieden+Kennedy London, the spot celebrates the confidence and skill of women today and the future of the women’s game as it takes centre stage this summer. It includes Lionesses Captain Leah Williamson, France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas, Norway’s Ada Hegerberg, Magda Eriksson and Pernille Harder from Chelsea plus world-class freestyler Rocky Hehakaija and girls from grassroots teams across Europe.
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Asked about what this film means to her and the game, Rocky said: “Being part of this ad is just everything to me and a dream that came true. I grew up watching these big Nike ads, imitating them in the streets with my friends. Nike is showing the world that women’s football is a force to be reckoned with and is here to stay.”
Alongside celebrating the athletes and the game today, the ad helps to push for more change that will improve the future of the sport, just as the level of football has never been higher – with investment, media coverage and crowds at record levels, plus more girls involved in grassroots football than ever before. “These achievements cannot be overlooked or diminished,” says Wieden+Kennedy. “But basking in the glory of the heights the game has reached cannot create complacency, we must never stop seeking more. More professional opportunities for women in football, more investment and access at all levels of the sport and more visibility through media coverage,” it adds.
Those in the game today are doing their part to create a better game for those in future. Ada Hegerberg continues to fight tirelessly for equality. In Barcelona, organisations like Street Football x Barcelona and The Women’s Soccer School Barcelona are making sure that athletes of all levels have a chance to experience the joys and benefits of the beautiful game. In London, former professional Mollie Kmita’s Level7Academy facilitates full-time college programmes for over 400 student athletes. Meanwhile, Grenfell Athletic FC in partnership with Nike started the women’s arm of the club in 2021 and will play their first competitive fixtures this year.
Nike’s latest spot comes at a time when there is a high watermark for women’s football, the highest so far. But there is much left to do, hence the campaign’s overriding message, ‘Never Settle, Never Done’. “This is women’s football like you’ve never seen before, and this is only the beginning,” adds W+F. The ad will rolled out across major channels this week.
