With the FIFA Women’s World Cup due to start soon, Sport NZ and New Zealand Football have launched a campaign to celebrate the Ford Football Ferns returning home for the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand.
Part of Sport NZ’s It’s Time campaign, the new commercial showcases the Ferns playing for major clubs around the globe, from Los Angeles to Finland, for both of Glasgow’s bitter footballing rivals, at historic English club sides and for big A-League teams, before collectively returning home to change the game in Aotearoa.
Main photo: Michaela Foster … one of the Ferns who took part in the ad campaign.
Taking part in the campaign are: Ali Riley (Angel City FC, USA), CJ Bott (Leicester City, England), Claudia Bunge (Melbourne Victory, Australia), Jacqui Hand (Åland United, Finland), Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand), Olivia Chance (Celtic, Scotland), Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur, England) and Victoria Esson (Rangers, Scotland).
The production team worked with each player in their home club environments, giving Kiwi fans a chance to see the footballing experiences of Ferns across the globe.
James Wear, General Manager of Brand and Partnerships at New Zealand Football, sees this campaign as a perfect opportunity to further tell the stories of how successful the Ford Football Ferns are internationally.
“Women’s football has been exploding around the world, and it is brilliant to see our Ford Football Ferns playing significant roles as part of that.
“This campaign showcases the historic and iconic clubs the Ferns play for, as well as all the various parts of the world football can take you to, before the team all return home to play on football’s biggest stage – the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The It’s Time campaign was launched last September to help increase the visibility and support for New Zealand’s female athletes. It followed research commissioned by Sport NZ, which showed awareness of female athletes is significantly lower than comparable male athletes, particularly in team sports.
Sport NZ Chief Executive, Raelene Castle, says following the Women’s Cricket and Rugby World Cups, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is yet another opportunity to raise the recognition and profile of our female athletes.
“It’s so important that we build on the momentum of the world-class events we have already held in New Zealand, as we look forward to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the biggest sporting event ever to hit New Zealand’s shores.
“The new advertisement is a fantastic way to highlight the talent and profile of our players and we challenge all New Zealanders to get behind the Football Ferns as they head into the tournament, whether it be buying at ticket and attending a game, watching on TV, engaging on social media or reading and watching media coverage.”
The campaign will run across TV, digital and cinema starting on Wednesday June 28, 2023, with the advert premiering at 6.30pm on Three.
The campaign joins other initiatives set to promote the team leading into the tournament, including Sky Sport’s documentary series Following The Ferns, player interview series Whānau Ferns – My Ferns Story, Nike’s Fearless Forever campaign, and naming partner Ford’s TV and digital ad campaign.
The Ford Football Ferns are next in action in Napier on July 10 against Vietnam, the team’s last public game before kicking off the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Eden Park on July 20 against Norway.
