Fi Mccrindle: ‘football As A Force For Good’

Footballers divide opinion. Despite the long-running stereotypes, there has been examples in recent times of footballers acting as a force for good. Digital & Campaign Lead at Ten Toes, Fi McCrindle, explores this further, and explains how athlete’s PR teams can help them have a positive impact.

It’s hard to look at the activism, campaigning and positivity we’ve seen from footballers in the last 12-18 months without acknowledging the ways in which it’s been a bad period for football too. We’ve seen several horrendous high-profile accusations, and the response on social media has highlighted the intertwined and ugly relationship that exists between misogyny and football.

There are plenty of questions that need to be asked about the nature of and volume of these accusations in men’s football. At all levels of the game, we all have a duty to stamp out misogyny and discrimination. We need to challenge it and be inclusive in all we do, across every echelon of the industry.

Looking beyond the shocking accusations and towards the ways in which football has been a force for good, athlete activism continues to bubble away. From Tyrone Mings calling out the Home Secretary, to Marcus Rashford’s continued campaigning and Ben Mee raising awareness about premature birth, footballers continue to push for a better world.

In some cases, players have help behind the scenes. In the same way they have agents, physios and dieticians, they also have professionals helping them with their marketing and PR. Whether they have help or not, the common theme is that all of this is born from a natural desire from players themselves to make a change. The main difference is that it’s only with the right support that players can go further in their activism, reaching the right people and taking their messages on podcasts, television, social media and into newspapers.

Here are a few great examples of players authentically driving positive change and what makes them effective.

Ben Mee

Last year, we (Ten Toes) worked with Burnley captain Ben Mee who wanted to use his voice and personal experiences to help others. Ben’s daughter, Olive, was born extremely prematurely at 24 weeks and he wanted to raise awareness and show support for others in similar situations.

This campaign was so effective due to the combination of the message, the authentic desire to talk about something important and how structured it was. As well as launching his account on Twitter, our work with Ben saw him feature in The Times and The Athletic, appear on BBC Breakfast and partner with the charity Tommy’s. Highlighting conversations around World Prematurity Day gave Ben an obvious platform and greater visibility of his message and his off-pitch profile has continued to grow at pace ever since.  

Izzy Brown

Just before Christmas, Preston’s Izzy Brown noticed a message from a struggling fan and decided to reach out. Impromptu and authentic, the act drove conversations about men and mental health online.

The direct impact of Izzy’s reply to the fan was clear and the value of the subsequent, wider conversations is so important. Izzy can continue to drive the topic of men’s mental health forward through content with media partners, charitable work and planned campaigning.

Pernille Harder and Magda Eriksson

Since a photo of their kiss at the 2019 World Cup went viral, Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson’s off-pitch relationship was thrust into the limelight, giving them a chance to become role models for the LGBTQ+ community.

This year, we worked with Magdalena and Pernille to set up conversations with other LGBTQ+ athletes and allies that would be aired on Sky Sports and Sky Sports News. They discussed shared experiences around speaking out, even when it’s not the easiest route to take. Their conversation with Megan Rapinoe is moving, inspirational and highlights all the hard work Magda, Pernille and numerous other athletes tirelessly engage in to push narratives, football and wider society forward.

This piece is one of several we’ve worked with Magda and Pernille on, showing the value of organized peaks of activity on a common theme and how they drive off-pitch presence.

Troy Deeney

In recent months Troy Deeney has begun campaigning for a more diverse curriculum in schools, making BAME history and experiences mandatory topics. He has appeared on Channel 4 News and in the Independent, spoken to MPs, engaged with those discussing the petition and had support from other influential figures.

It is an important campaign and it has been brilliantly executed. He has my signature.

Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson is known for putting his head above the parapet and speaking out on important issues. Henderson has also advocated for equality and inclusion, using social media, newspaper columns, and matchday programmes to communicate his views.

During the EUROS, he replied to a fan who’d shared a post explaining that they attended their first football match ‘in full make up and overtly queer’. Henderson sent a message back, thanking the fan for their support and sharing the message that ‘football is for everyone no matter what’. Simple in execution and in terms of the message, but the impact of the tweet was felt far and wide, with thousands of replies, likes and retweets.

It is great to see such an appetite for change and it’s no surprise that well-planned campaigns with experienced teams behind them have the greatest results. I’m so proud and pleased to say this is something we do with several high-profile players at Ten Toes. The power, reach and influence players have provided an unrivaled opportunity for positive change. We all know that important conversations happen through the medium of football and the sense of community, inspiration, pride, liberation and representation that comes from athletes leading the charge can be game changing. Long may it continue.