WSYN gives women in all areas of the football community the chance to participate in once-in-a-lifetime mentoring programmes, networking events and specialist training in their chosen disciplines and passions.
In 2023/24, the campaign was in its second year; therefore, our primary objective with the WSYN campaign was to announce its return in a way that not only caught public attention but also encouraged active participation.
In a bold move, we engaged Carol Ann Duffy OBE, the UK’s first female and openly LGBTQ+ Poet Laureate, to craft a poem that would resonate across generations and genders. This poem was a rallying cry, encouraging nominations for WSYN 2024 and honoring women’s contributions to football.
Duffy collaborated with Jean Williams, a noted female sports historian, to weave powerful narratives from the annals of women’s football into her poetry. The result was a poignant tribute to female trailblazers, intertwined with references to England and Chelsea players. This was vividly brought to life in a moving video featuring top female football talent, broadcasters, influencers, and WSYN participants and winners.
Duffy’s rare participation in branded campaigns and her authoritative presence lent a unique depth and authenticity to our messaging. The poem she created, a testament to her literary genius, became a cornerstone of the campaign, laying a lasting foundation for the important initiative of the #WeSeeYou Network.
The campaign generated stand out coverage across all major media sectors, from a stand alone piece on BBC highlighting the new poem, to a front page feature in The Guardian.
An amazing 97% of coverage included our own campaign imagery and 70% of coverage included a click-through link to the WSYN landing page, helping to drive nominations and awareness of Three’s involvement in sports.
The purpose of the campaign was to drive maximum awareness for the launch of the nomination window, which it did via widespread national coverage resulting in a spike of over 300 entries (and counting…).