96% of women have had to play in a men’s football kit at some point in their career.
This statistic reveals a significant gender inequality in sports apparel, something Australian-born football brand, PARK, was determined to address.
After hearing numerous stories from female football players worldwide about the discomfort and impracticality of playing in ill-fitting men's kits, PARK developed a sustainable football kit specifically designed for female bodies, addressing the unique needs of women athletes.
The goal? To drive awareness of the widespread issue of women playing in men’s kits and promote PARK’s newly designed kit as the solution.
Our campaign, "It’s Time to Play Better," was designed to do just that, highlighting the disparity, while raising awareness about the lack of appropriate sports apparel for women and advocating for gender equality in football.
By changing the narrative that all female players had access to well-fitting kits (due to high-profile events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup), we aimed to create a movement that would not only bring attention to the problem but also drive industry-wide change.
Whereas their campaigns would be seen to support the women’s game, our campaign would be the one that highlighted a real-world issue in women’s football to drive change.
Our ultimate objective was to position PARK as a leader in advocating for inclusivity and empowerment within women's football.
And so ‘It’s Time to Play Better’ was born - a rallying cry to draw a line in the sand.
To achieve our objective, we began by understanding and highlighting the scale of the issue. We conducted in-depth interviews with female players at all levels, collecting raw and authentic stories about their experiences with ill-fitting kits.
The campaign was launched via a closed football community with professional A-League player Emma Illjoski, who knew all too well the experiences of playing in a men’s kit, spearheading the conversation.
Comments like “My kit bunched at my crotch,” “It was tight in areas I didn’t want it to be tight in,” and “I was practically drowning in it” underscored the severity of the problem.
In collaboration with the Professional Footballers Association, we commissioned research revealing that 96% of female players had to wear men’s kits at some point in their careers.
Armed with this powerful data, we created a compelling and creative campaign to stand out during the crowded FIFA Women’s World Cup season. "It’s Time to Play Better" became our rallying cry, challenging the status quo and advocating for better-fitting kits for women.
The campaign launched with a hero video featuring three A-League players sharing their personal stories and calling on the industry to address this gender disparity.
To foster a sense of community and drive engagement, we created a closed WhatsApp group for female players to share their experiences and rally together. This initiative helped us collect hundreds of stories, demonstrating the widespread nature of the problem and galvanizing support for our cause.
We got creative with our placements, using the power of earned and OOH to get attention and show up authentically in places and ways that resonated with football culture - outside of bars showing the World Cup games, on the balconies of homes near the stadiums, and on street walls along paths to key venues.
These tactics allowed us to connect authentically with football fans and maximize our impact at a fraction of the cost of traditional billboards and OOH advertising.
We also seeded kits to media, players, and influential personalities to generate buzz and support.
We even got the kit into the changing rooms of the Matilda’s during the World Cup and scored a shout-out from key player Alex Chidiac.
Prominent national and international outlets like The Guardian, News Corp and the Daily Mail covered our campaign, featuring interviews with players and PARK’s founder. This extensive media coverage amplified our message and reached a broader audience.
The "It’s Time to Play Better" campaign achieved remarkable results, making a significant impact on women's football and driving awareness for gender equality in sports.
We successfully created a community of over 300 female players at all levels, united by a shared mission to change the game for the better. This sense of solidarity and collective action was a testament to the campaign's effectiveness.
Our earned media strategy delivered 61 pieces of coverage, resulting in over 71 million opportunities to see, all with 100% positive sentiment. Social media content generated 754,000 impressions, further amplifying our message and engaging a wide audience.
The campaign also drove tangible business results for PARK. Website traffic increased by 86% during the campaign, and the new kit exceeded its sales targets.
The success of the campaign caught the attention of prominent online retailer Ultra Football, which chose to stock the PARK brand. Additionally, PARK secured a partnership with Sam Kerr Football, further cementing its position as a leader in advocating for gender equality in sports.
Our innovative approach to highlighting and addressing the issue of ill-fitting kits for female footballers not only raised awareness but also drove meaningful change within the industry.
The campaign's success demonstrated the power of strategic, creative, and authentic storytelling in promoting social good and advocating for inclusivity in sports.
