Uniting Communities and Breaking Barriers in Football
Whether you’re watching Euros 2024 or the Paris 2024 Olympics, sports have the power to capture the hearts and minds of people everywhere.
For decades, sports have built bridges between rival nations, created loyal fanbases and opened opportunities for promising athletes. This holds true for football clubs in the UK.
Diversity on the pitch keeps improving. In 2022, 43% of English Premier League (EPL) players were black, almost a 10% increase from 2021. But what about off-the-pitch positions? A network of people, from coaches to senior executives, keeps team sports running effectively.
In a 2023 report, the Black Footballers Partnership (BFP) found that only 4.4% of managerial roles and 1.6% of executive, leadership and ownership positions are taken by black employees.
The disparity evidenced in this report contributed to the beginning of #MerkyFC, an initiative that opens off-the-pitch opportunities to black heritage youth.
In 2022, Stormzy, a UK artist, and adidas started the #Merky FC programme to raise awareness and break down barriers in leadership positions for the black community.
After two years of work, these changemakers opened the new #MerkyFC HQ in Croydon, London, with design, graphics and displays provided by Broadwick Studio and Leach.
#MerkyFC HQ is helping young people participate in football and “explore creative passions in music, content creation and esports”, said Steve Marks, adidas’ Senior Director of Brand Communications.
At Leach, we have extensive experience in the sports sector, and when Broadwick Studio invited us to the #MerkyFC HQ project, we were determined to bring adidas and Stormzy’s vision to life.
We drew on #MerkyFC HQ’s mission for the project to inspire change in the football community and widen opportunities for young black people. This community hub boasts several multipurpose rooms for gaming, podcasting and recording music. A new 3G pitch sits outside the facility as well.
Around the entrance, we installed durable Dibond wayfinding signage to welcome and direct visitors to the building. A large wall-mounted lightbox was completed with high-quality branding graphics to advertise #MerkyFC, as were several other fabric display lightboxes depicting professional footballers.
The interiors of #MerkyFC HQ offered vast display and print opportunities, including double-sided window vinyl, wall coverings, custom acrylic signage and floor-level signs. We used each wall covering to promote black people in sports, helping visitors to identify with them and build a passion for sports.
Head to our #MerkyFC HQ case study to learn more.
At Leach, we see the world as our canvas. That’s why brands trust us to bring their projects to life. Whether upgrading Huddersfield Town FC’s facilities or championing LGTBQI+ pride at the Spanish Embassy, we are skilled at transforming spaces through striking print and graphic displays.
We’ve built a strong reputation with leading sports brands, helping them drive inspiration and generate a true sense of community.
If you have a sporting event or facility in need of a lift, contact our team to learn how we can help you.
