Tackling Homophobia in Football with Hope United

Client: EE

EE’s Hope United wants to combat online hate and stereotypes in football and the most prevalent form of online abuse is homophobic abuse.

EE was nervous about appearing to speak on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, so we united two unlikely media partners, talkSPORT and GAY TIMES, to ensure the message included both community advocates and delivered at fan-scale. A roundtable discussion featuring prominent voices from the football and LGBTQ+ communities was created, generating a host of impactful and authentic content. Results showed significant increases in talkSPORT listeners' understanding of homophobic hate and willingness to take action against it.