Sports Direct launches £6m TV advert starring Eric Cantona for UEFA Euro 2020

Sports Direct has just launched a new £6m summer football campaign called ‘Just A Game?!’ to coincide with the UEFA EURO 2020 football competition, taking place from 11 June to 11 July 2021, having been postponed due to the COVID-19.

The campaign, in partnership with COP90, is for TV, outdoor advertising, in-store and for Sports Direct’s influencer programme, taking fans on a light-hearted journey through “the meaning of football”, starring charismatic football legend and Premier League Hall of Fame icon Eric Cantona, as well as a host of current football stars including England’s Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson, Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes and Germany’s Melanie Leupolz.

In the advert, Cantona is seen wearing a bespoke suit created by East London streetwear designer Clothsurgeon to tease the launch of the brand’s limited-edition capsule collection with the fashion atelier. Specially curated for the Euros in partnership with Sports Direct, the high-heat collection is inspired by the sentiment of the ‘Just A Game?!' campaign.

Through the collection, Clothsurgeon’s Creative Director and ex-Leeds United player, Rav Matharu, has depicted what ‘Just A Game?!’ means to him. Available from 11 June 2021, at SportsDirect.com, the collection is made up of a tracksuit jacket and bottoms, a vest and a bucket hat, all featuring a coloured patchwork panel upcycled from men’s and women’s national kits.

The £6M campaign first aired during the UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City on BT Sport on Saturday 29 May 2021, and will have “flagship spots” throughout the Euros on ITV in a series of highly engaging 60, 30 and 20-second ads. The roll out guarantees more than 29 million people across the UK will see the ‘Just A Game?!’ advert over the course of the tournament.

Directed by Pensacola, who are known for their irreverent music videos, the advert harnesses the energy of the Euros, acting as “a force in bringing people back together again this summer through their shared passion of the beautiful game.”

Beckie Stanion, Chief Marketing Officer at Sports Direct, said: “Football sits at the heart of communities up and down the UK, and the Euros gives us a platform to kickstart a new era of football for the brand in what’s going to be a bumper few years of international tournaments.

“Sports Direct is a place where many start their football journey - from buying boots or their first shirt - and we know that was the case even for some of the stars in our advert. We want people to know that we’ve got the best kit for your game regardless of whether you’re stepping out at Wembley, or heading to your first five-a-side match.”

COPA90 has been appointed as strategic and creative guardians of the Sports Direct brand across all football activities, and will see the football media company lead the retailer’s planning and activation through and beyond the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Simon Joyce, Chief Business Officer at COPA90, commented: “It was key that we produced a feelgood campaign that reminded people of the freedom of experiencing football, why it’s so much more than the 90 minutes on the professional pitch, and put a smile on people’s faces at a time when football will be a magnetic force in bringing people back together.

“We’ve been immensely impressed by Beckie’s vision, and we are delighted to be brought in at ground zero to shape the future of a brand that is going on an incredibly exciting and accelerated journey that has football at its heart. This is just the start of a long-term future together.”