With just days to go until the U.S. Women’s National Team begins its quest for an unprecedented third World Cup championship in a row, the National Women’s Soccer League unveiled the next stage of its “We Play Here” campaign.
Two billion people are expected to tune into the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, kicking off July 20, so the domestic U.S. league is here to remind everyone that the best soccer players in the world play in the United States.
A new 30-second spot, narrated by USWNT legend Brandi Chastain, highlights the league’s top talent heading to Australia and New Zealand. The tournament kicks off July 20, and Fox and Telemundo have the U.S. broadcast rights.
“In case you’re new here, we’re here to make history,” says Chastain. “The best in the world, we got us.”
“We don’t just play the world’s game, we run it,” Chastain finishes alongside a highlight reel featuring stars such as 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, captain Alex Morgan, Canada’s Christine Sinclair and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman.
It’s one of the biggest digital buys that the NWSL has done since Julie Haddon joined the league as its first chief marketing officer last year, and the overall campaign is the largest brand execution to date.
The spot will debut on the NWSL’s social channel and then will run across all major social channels and digital sports outlets.
Instead of hiring an external agency, Haddon opted to hire internally, bringing over producer Sam Howard who worked with Haddon on NFL Super Bowl commercials.
“The traditional thing to do is be a CMO and hire an agency, but I wanted the agency to be entrepreneurial and build this together,” Haddon told Adweek. “We’re not a traditional sports league, and we’re lucky that we can develop the future of sports and find new ways to develop and grow our fan base.”