Jodie Rich, our newest Junior Account Executive within our women's sport team, has had a whirlwind couple of months since her arrival in March! Here, she takes a look behind the scenes of our special PR and experiential activation ahead of the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final.
Women’s football has been on an upward trajectory since the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022, attracting new fans from all demographics. It’s nearing the end of the WSL season 23/24 and the sport I’ve loved since I was a little kid is reaching heights I thought was only possible in my dreams.
As a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter I’ve been subjected to my fair share of heartbreak in the world of football. But, in recent years whilst watching the game grow, my overriding emotions have been nothing but happiness and pride. My club reached their first-ever Women’s FA Cup Final this year, five years after promotion from The Women’s Championship, highlighting their rapid progression.
Since joining MatchFit two months ago as a Junior Account Executive, I have been involved in a variety of different women’s football projects. I’ve loved every minute, but my highlight so far was our work last week on the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Trophy Tour.
In collaboration with our client The FA, we launched our very own Adobe Women’s FA Cup branded coffee van, as part of an exciting experiential and PR activation campaign. The theme was inspired to pay an ode to the competition’s inaugural 1971 winners Southampton Women’s FC, who celebrated their 4-1 win against Stewarton Thistle over a cup of coffee!
Coffee has evolved into a true part of women’s football culture. Whether its fans drinking coffee at Jill Scott’s Boxx 2 Boxx, the Lionesses famously enjoying machines at their World Cup base camp in Australia last year or players expressing their love for fresh beans on Instagram.
The Women’s FA Cup is a historic competition which has always offered a platform for teams across the footballing pyramid to flourish. Our activation aimed to showcase the history of the competition, tying it to the synonymous coffee connection by providing football-themed coffees named after players past and present who have made FA Cup history. Current and future fans were able to enjoy free coffee, watch Harriet Pavlou’s football freestyle tricks and snap a photo of themselves with the iconic FA Cup trophy.
Over the course of three days, our coffee van travelled from the National Football Museum in Manchester, to Observation Point in Southbank and, finally, the Wembley Stadium fan-zone to welcome Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur fans ahead of the Final. With confirmation that a new name would be written on this year’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup trophy, it was essential that we gave these clubs supporters a keepsake, which we provided through our branded coffee cups.
We also made a few other stops along the way, including Media City and BBC Broadcasting House where we put forward our ambassadors Rachel Brown-Finnis and Jenna Schillaci for media interviews as spokespeople for the Final and Trophy Tour. We secured extensive coverage, but undoubtedly my favourite piece was Rachel talking about the big game on BBC Newsround. After all, the children watching this episode before school could one day be playing in the Final themselves.
With the trophy visiting Ella Toone’s former high school Fred Longworth and Spurs Foundation school Lea Valley Primary School, our young future stars were able to get involved in a kickabout and have their questions answered by our ambassadors. ITV Granada interviewed Rachel and some of the students at Fred Longworth on their predictions for the final, which reached approximately 2 million people.
Women’s football fandom is an inclusive community and the culture at games exudes positivity. In a similar vein, off the pitch and outside of stadiums, fans interact with each other in person and online because they feel connected to the welcoming atmosphere that has enticed people into following the sport.
At our ‘Trophy Pour’ events in Manchester and London, we loved the fact we met supporters from dozens of clubs, not just those from Manchester United or Spurs, and it was thrilling to hear their discourse around the final and differing score predictions. Our coffee van provided a space for people to share their thoughts and create excitement ahead of the Final, whilst drinking player-inspired coffees, my personal favourite being the ‘Capputooneo’. Perhaps this inspired Ella to produce her stroke of magic in the match itself?!
Moments like these underpin why the women’s football universe continues to go from strength to strength in all aspects of the game. And activations like this help further connect fans, new and old, with the history of the game and help us build a bright future for the sport.
Here’s looking ahead to the next magic moment at MatchFit!
