Barclays immerses young girl in football mania with Arsenal icon Ian Wright
Barclays is playing its part to ensure equality of access to the beautiful game by enlisting Arsenal and England star Ian Wright to front a new girls’ football campaign.
It All Starts With A Chance builds on the banking brand’s Girls’ Football Schools Partnership, which aims to ensure equality of access to football in schools by 2024.
At present just 63% of schools offer girls’ football lessons in scheduled PE sessions and a scant 40% of schools provide regular extracurricular football lessons to girls. No wonder then that while 76% of men have played football at school, just 19% of women enjoyed the same opportunities.
Developed in collaboration by M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and M&C Saatchi London, the 30-second film charts the hopes and dreams of a young girl at school daydreaming about life as a professional footballer, including undergoing a press conference, doing an interview with Ian Wright and signing autographs.
Tom Corbett, Barclays group head of sponsorship and media, said: “As part of our long-term commitment to football in England, by 2024 we want to make sure that every girl in England has the same opportunities to play football as boys. This is incredibly important, as being given the chance to play football doesn’t just benefit your skills on the pitch, it opens up a whole new range of possibilities and life skills off it.”
Barclays has helped to kickstart girls’ football through a series of initiatives including sponsorship of the £10m Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship.