Women In Football (WIF) – a network of professionals working in the football industry committed to supporting and championing their peers – embarks on a new growth phase it rolled out a brand platform in October restating its purpose with a new manifesto and brand refresh.
WIF – which focuses on sharing professional expertise, challenging discrimination and celebrating women’s achievement – worked in partnership with agency Iris Worldwide and Copa90 and with financial support from lead partner Barclays, the new work follows on from WIF’s biggest ever survey which found that two thirds of women report gender discrimination in the workplace.
The survey, carried out in collaboration with Sports Marketing Surveys and more than 4,000 WIF members, reinforces the understanding that equality progress is dependent on collaboration and this is the driving force behind the restatement of the brand’s ambition and articulation.
The new brand, which includes a restated manifesto and refreshed brand identity, aims to galvanise and build the network and the objective is to push the industry forward and create positive change.
The work seeks to demonstrate how WIF are making a mark: showcasing what the organisation is and providing a ‘call out’ for people to join the transformation plan.
The aim is to offer a more cohesive identity and way of engaging stakeholders which will reach all corners of the industry.
The initiative, which spans PR, digital and social channels, began with a teaser phase before the central roll out which was led by image and video assets and promoted highlights from the survey.
Amongst the key findings of the survey where that whilst two thirds (66%) of women have experienced gender discrimination in the footballing workplace, only 12% of incidents were reported.
Plus, when problems were actually officially reported, the research found that these incidents were often ‘brushed under the carpet’ with the so often misused term ‘banter’ being the most common form of discrimination: 52% of respondents said they had experienced/witnessed this and another 82% said they have faced obstacles in their football career.
WIF’s next growth phase will see it drive several new initiatives such as the launch of a ‘Women in Football Youth Council’ to enhance opportunities for young women and expanding existing initiatives such as doubling the number of recipients of the Vikki Orvice Memorial Directorship Scheme.
The brand development was handled by Iris Worldwide with photography by Lynne Cameron and film creative and production handled by Copa90.
Lisa Parfitt, board member of Women in Football said: “Women in Football is already a reality, however, change on an institutional level is not happening as fast as the world demands it. Women in football is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it is fundamental to the success of the industry – and it’s just good business,” explained WIF Board Member Lisa Parfitt. “Football as an industry provides an abundance of opportunities for all career paths to benefit from the involvement of women – from finance to physio – but, as our survey shows, there’s still a lot of work to do to make the football industry truly diverse and gender inclusive. Whilst a new brand won’t do this job alone, it is vital we have a clear and consistent voice that helps communicate our organisation – our passion, integrity, thought leadership and most importantly how we drive change by working with our members and the industry as a collective.
Comment:
This project introduces a fresh and vibrant brand whilst publicising ongoing inequality across the landscape and driving support for the organisation’s existing projects and new initiatives to boost its next phase of growth.
Links:
Women in Football
https://www.womeninfootball.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/WomeninFootball
https://www.facebook.com/WomeninFootballOfficial/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-football-official/
https://www.instagram.com/womeninfootballofficial/
Iris Worldwide
https://www.iris-worldwide.com/
Copa90
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