Reframing football fandom as a set of learnable behaviours.
Ahead of the 2024 summer of football, EE recognised that 61% of adults had experienced hate in the last year - and kids copy what they see. So instead of just another awareness campaign, we built a connected experience ecosystem designed to turn fandom into positive action.
How it worked
It began with the ATL campaign “Hate. Not In My Shirt”, sparking national conversation. From there, fans were invited to the Proud Supporter Hub, an online space within EE’s learning ecosystem, where they could access practical tools and a set of three short documentary films on managing sideline aggression, tackling racism and handling homophobia.
The stories and lessons then extended back out through social content, street interviews, murals and player-led lessons on Learnsmart, embedding the message across football culture and proving that being a better fan is something you can actually learn.
Impact
The programme re-framed fandom as a set of learnable behaviours and gave families tools they could use that weekend - while the hub extended the learning beyond the tournament.
The campaign drew broad trade and consumer coverage, with the skills topics (aggression, racism, homophobia) repeated across press and EE channels, helping shift EE’s football platform from sponsorship to education and inclusion.
My role & team
Role: ECD leading experience and social creative between Digitas and Boomerang teams - developing the Proud Supporter proposition, digital experience, three Proud Supporter films and other content.
Partners: Saatchi & Saatchi (campaign), Digitas (digital/content), Boomerang (social) Verso Films (José Otero, Louis Ellison), EssenceMediacomX (media), Pitch (PR), Posterscope (OOH), with the FA and Scottish FA supporting player-led lessons.