Press release
New video launched with Liverpool FC encouraging girls to ‘Play On’
London – Standard Chartered and Liverpool Football Club released their latest video on 29 June, encouraging young girls to ‘Play On’ in sport.
‘Topper’, follows the journey of a girl from Southeast Asia into adulthood, accompanied every step of the way by her trusty sports trophy (or ‘topper’), which comes to life through CGI. The viewer sees how playing sport equipped the girl with the skills and belief to push on in life, empowering her to go on to achieve success as an adult.
‘Play On’ is a four-year campaign that aims to combat the problem of young girls dropping out of sport by highlighting the benefits that playing sports on the pitch can make to their lives off the pitch.
Standard Chartered and Liverpool FC launched this campaign at the end of May to coincide with the last Premier League game of 2022/23. Their first video, ‘I Quit’, was a faux post-match press interview featuring four Liverpool FC men’s players announcing they’re done with football, but with the twist that the reasons they give for quitting are some of the reasons young girls give every day around the world for not continuing with sport – not fitting in with friends, lack of parental support, safety and body image concerns.
In a rousing follow up video a week later, they launched ‘Team Talk’ featuring Liverpool FC Manager Jürgen Klopp calling for players to go for it, be brave and not to give up. In another surprising turn of events, when the camera pans out, instead of the expected Liverpool FC players, the viewer sees a room full of inspired teenage girls hanging on Klopp’s every word. These girls are participants of Standard Chartered’s Goal programme and the LFC Foundation’s community schemes in Liverpool.
In addition to this engaging social media campaign, Standard Chartered and Liverpool FC have created a dedicated ‘Play On’ web page at standard-chartered-ca.altis.dev/play-on: A digital repository where girls, teachers, coaches, parents and anyone interested in supporting young girls can go to learn more about the campaign and have access to useful resources.
Next season, the Bank and Club will look to take ‘Play On’ into some of their key markets in Asia and Africa with the ‘Train the Trainer’ programme, where coaches from LFC Soccer Schools and the Foundation will work with Standard Chartered’s Goal programme NGO delivery partners to offer a knowledge and coaching programme delivered exclusively to women and girls.
“We know that sport can play an incredibly important role in teaching young girls’ confidence, teamwork, resilience, and leadership. But globally, twice as many girls than boys stop playing sport by the age of 14. We want to change that”, said Claire Dixon, Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing, Standard Chartered and Chair of the Standard Chartered Foundation. “Our Standard Chartered Futuremakers and Goal programmes recognise the important role sport can play in teaching critical life skills which equip women to go on to be the very best they can, whatever their chosen career path.
“This joint initiative with Liverpool Football Club, our long-term partner and one of the world’s most popular football clubs, will encourage girls around the world to continue in sport, as well as provide educational and inspirational resources for them to do so. Together, we want to encourage girls, support them every step of the way, and help them Play On.”
Ben Latty, Commercial Director at Liverpool FC, said, “We are so proud to be involved in this pioneering campaign, and to put our full support behind it. The first instalments of the ‘Play On’ campaign have grabbed headlines, and rightly so, and brought this important issue to the top of the agenda. It has been fantastic to work on this campaign with our Principal Partner, Standard Chartered, who recently extended their partnership with us through to 2027. We are looking forward to continuing to build on what has been achieved so far.”
Commenting on the campaign, Matt Parish, CEO of the Liverpool FC Foundation, said, “The LFC Foundation is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls. Through ‘Play On’, we are working with Standard Chartered to provide aspirational and inclusive activities to support and inspire girls to stay in sport.”
This campaign launches just ahead of the Women’s World Cup in July, where all eyes will once again be focussed on women’s football and encouraging the next generation of females to Play On.
ENDS
Useful links:
- ‘Topper’ video
- ‘I Quit’ video
- ‘Team Talk’ video
- Women’s Sports Foundation’s ‘Do You Know the Factors Influencing Girls’ Participation in Sports?’
For more information, contact:
Tel: +44 7766 443662
Liverpool FC:
Email: emma.hope@liverpoolfc.com
Tel: +44 7789 061288
Liverpool Football Club
- Founded in 1892, Liverpool FC is one of the world’s most historic and famous football clubs, having won 19 League Titles, including the Premier League, eight FA Cups, nine League Cups, six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four European Super Cups and 16 Charity Shields.
- As a socially responsible Club, Liverpool FC is proud of its heritage and plays a proactive role in its communities through its official charity, Liverpool FC Foundation, which aims to create life changing opportunities for children and young people in Merseyside and beyond, and the Red Neighbours programme, which creates events and experiences specifically aimed at improving the lives of those living in and around the Anfield area (L4, L5 and L6).