Holiday soccer shines a light on homelessness in Shelter campaign

Initiative from Dark Horses encourages players and fans to wear away kit rather than 'home'

Published On
Dec 23, 2021

Editor's Pick

Players from almost 100 soccer clubs in England and Wales will unexpectedly don their "away," rather than "home," kit on Dec. 26 as they support a charity campaign highlighting homelessness.

The campaign, by Shelter and agency Dark Horses, takes advantage of the festive tradition of soccer games on the U.K.'s Boxing Day holiday. Clubs including Portsmouth, Salford City, Sheffield United and Cardiff have signed up to wear their away shirts to help bring attention to the fact that, in the space of every 90 minutes (the length of a soccer match), 25 households will become homeless in England. Fans will also be encouraged to wear away shirts if attending matches.

Supporting the campaign is a film, also created by Dark Horses, made up of stories based on the classic traditions of Boxing Day football, from a Brighton fan repainting his shed from the club’s famous Blue and White stripes to its green away colours, to a girl coloring on a newspaper, changing Harry Kane’s white Spurs kit to its colored away kit.

Even though the Premier League blocked its clubs' players from taking part on the pitch, several have also decided to throw their weight behind the campaign off the pitch through fundraising, matchday advertising and social media content.

“There is a beautiful simplicity in this idea about the mutual importance of ‘home’ for both football and Shelter," said Melissa Robertson, Chief Executive Officer at Dark Horses, in a statement. "It’s been an incredible initiative to be involved in, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and support we’ve had from clubs, brands and influencers alike. To see clubs like Preston and Portsmouth being cheered on at home whilst wearing away colors? It’s just never happened before in the history of football, and is properly momentous. We hope the film does justice to this historic occasion. This is a cause that could affect anybody, so it’s on all of us, whoever we support, to help fight it.”

Credits

Date
Dec 23, 2021
Client :
Shelter
Agency :
Dark Horses
ECD :
Steve Howell
Creative Director :
Josh Pearce
Creative Director :
Sean Johnson
Creative :
Eve De Haan
Strategy Director :
Mark Lloyd
CEO :
Melissa Robertson
Business Director :
Dan Cunningham
Account Manager :
James Tadros
Producer :
Emily Mules
Head of Culture Entertainment & Sports :
Talia Pobischan
Culture Entertainment & Sports Manager :
Lucy Mason
Assistant Director Community Events :
Tom Whitehead
Culture Entertainment & Sport Coordinator :
Hannah Mribiha
Director :
Peter Banks
Producer :
Danielle Wright
Executive Producer :
Matt Fleming
Executive Producer :
Jack Goodwin
Production Manager :
Sam Katz
Production Manager :
Anita Okpongete
Directors Assistant / Production Assistant :
Julian Roberts
Casting Director :
Francesca Houlder
Casting Director :
Greenlight Casting
1st AD :
Dom Asbridge
2nd AD :
Charlotte Miller
Runner :
Fintan Power
DOP :
Thomas Hole
Focus Puller :
Alasdair Baines
Clapper Loader :
Rory Power
Camera Trainee :
Ernie Griffith
Camera Trainee :
Joe Medlock
Grip :
Jack Kelly
Steadicam :
Ivan Hinchley
Gaffer :
Freddie Bonfanti
Spark :
Luca Rizzardi
Spark :
Jonathan Woodward
Sound Ops :
James Jones
Sound Ops :
Matt Price
Art Director :
Noam Piper
Standby Props :
Natasha Piper
Props Assistant :
Ben Hughes
Art Trainee :
Asya Peker
Stylist :
Pia Woodvine
Styling Assistant :
Amber Morris
MUA :
Phoebe Llewellyn
Medic :
Elizabeth Greenfield
Camera Car Driver :
Anthony Bugge
Camera Car Driver :
Touchdown TV
Production :
Leebra
Security :
John McHugh
Security :
Capricorn
Editor :
Chris Roebuck
Edit :
Tenthree
Edit Assistant :
Ella Oliver
Edit Producer :
Rachel Goodger
Colorist :
Luke Morrison
Color :
ECT
Color Producer :
Annie Knight
Sound Design & Mix :
Martin Leitner
Sound Design & Mix :
Sounds Good Studio
Music Supervisor :
Lizz Harman
Music Supervisor :
DLMDD
With Thanks to :
Panavision
With Thanks to :
Panalux & Kodak
With Thanks to :
Sue Terry Voices

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