To mark the start of a new season and a burgeoning partnership between British Gas and BWSL,The Things’ Football Adventures encourages families to discover women’s football for themselves, with each book featuring an innovative ‘flip it over’ format: two front covers, one per team, meeting in the middle.
The debut title, Match Day Mix-Up!, follows the Thing family at a Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion match, with a foreword from Jill Scott, the former Everton and Manchester City legend, who made more than 150 appearances for England.
Our campaign was supported by research that found that while 97% of adults believe it’s important for children to grow up seeing visible female role models, over a third (34%) feel there simply aren’t enough of them in public life today.
That gap runs right through children’s literature, TV and film too. Six in ten (60%) of people don’t think enough children’s books, TV shows and films show girls aspiring to be successful, passionate and ambitious, rising to two thirds (66%) among women. The Things’ Football Adventure aims to change those figures.
In addition to the books themselves, Jill narrates an accompanying animated digital experience. The campaign portal also contains a downloadable PDF version, free activity sheets and offers the chance for fans to win tickets to see a BWSL match.
We also supported the launch with further attention-grabbing research, identifying who the nation saw as their top role models. With Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill taking top spot, the poll added another extra layer of intrigue for media, securing coverage for British Gas in national titles such as the Mail Online and The Mirror. Jill also appeared on Sky News, Jeremy Vine and Sky Sports News discussing the initiative.
