Samsung is empowering UK grassroots football through an initial contest and subsequent support programme via a programme called ‘The Grassroots Academy’ which sees the South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate empower Sunday League teams to not only survive, but to thrive through their innovative application of creative and technology.
Based on the belief that grassroots football clubs are a cultural lifeline for local communities – helping keep people fit and mentality healthy, bringing people together regardless of race and religion and even keeping youngsters out of gangs – the initiative aims to support the UK’s 43,000 grassroots football clubs many of which face serious threats and challenges to their existence.
According to a recent report titled ‘The Final Whistle For Grassroots Football’, many of these amateur clubs are under threat of closure this year due a lack of facilities and funding (partly caused by the pandemic and its after effects). The study found that 96% of clubs in the UK have seen a reduction in income in the last year and 12% say closure is inevitable.
Samsung’s project aims to support them through the current crisis.
Working with agency The Elephant Room, the project provides community support for local teams initially by helping an initial group of five clubs to learn creative and digital skills applied through Samsung technology and amplified via Samsung platforms to elevate their clubs’ brand and content.
The project kicked off in August, at the start of the 2022/23 football season, with a competition running across social channels to find an initial set of five grassroots football clubs to spearhead the academy project. The chosen clubs were invited to attend a programme of workshops, events and masterclasses to learn how to refine, amplify and elevate their brand and then to create compelling content and build their community and fanbase through Samsung-linked creativity and tech designed to win hearts, likes, fans and followers.
For example, The Baiteze Squad – a successful East London team which was formed three years ago by a group of friends – worked with a group of football and tech experts to create a set of engaging and dynamic YouTube content championing their passion to play football which has generated more than 50m views and provided a base from which the team became the FA Sunday Cup winners.
The initial five wining clubs taking part on the project are:
> Cardiff Wanderers FC Ladies (@cardiff_wandererslfc) Cardiff
> Impact FC Women (@impactfootballacademy) London
> Preston Dynamos (@prestondynamosfc) Brighton
> Renegade (@renegadefootballclub_) Essex
> SPR CFC (Sefton Park) (@spr_cfc) Liverpool
The campaign was developed for client Samsung UK by a team at agency The Elephant Room which included Creative Directors Nina Taylor and Jenai Kemal, Creatives Luca Corteggiano, Clare D’Andrea and Johnny Cooke, Client Partner Amelia Blashill, Managing Director Dan Saxby, Head of Strategy Matt Bamford‑Bowes, Head of Design Khutina Griffiths and Creative Producer Benj Opoku.
The production company was Great Coat with Director Sau Ali, MD Simon Oxley, Head of Production Sandra Spethmann, Executive Producers Micheal Newton, Chris Montego, Ebenezer Thompson and Ose Egbejale of Zero Formation, plus Producer Dayo Moshood, Director of Photography Louis Brennan, VFX Specialist Lee Delves, Editor Sau Ali and Colourist Daniela Rotaru of Glassworks. The sound company was Bubble TV with Alison Wendt and Chris Southwell.
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