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Welcome to the Nike Footballverse
Amplify + Nike empower the next generation of football fans...
Challenge
As excitement gathered across the globe for a tournament that represents the pinnacle of ‘big football’, Nike wanted to ensure they used the opportunity to launch Nike FC in the Middle East with a focus on the future of the game and giving a voice to the voiceless. Against a backdrop of footballing superstardom, the challenge was to deliver an accessible experience that would empower the next generation of fans to help define the next chapter of the sport.
Insight + Strategy
For young Global Football fans, the game is about the freedom of play, not just the final score. It’s about expression exploration, and connection, not rules and regulations. We wanted to create an experience that focused on the fun, opened up the game for all, not the just the all-stars and invite our audience into a space where they could play their way to co-create the future of football.
Solution
Welcome to the Nike Footballverse
We built a three-week, immersive world right in the heart of Dubai that launched Nike FC in the Middle East: a global community aimed at putting the fun back into our beautiful game. Inspired by Nike’s groundbreaking Footballverse film, we built a wormhole to another dimension, welcoming kids of all ages to play five bespoke football mini-games IRL.
Co-created with the community, the games each related to a core principle that’s integral to football: creativity, teamwork, leadership, and heart. From Own Goal Hero where the most ‘own goals’ wins to Football Tennis which combined, you guessed it, football and tennis, we did away with the traditional rules of football in favour of games where the freedom of play is more important that the final score. Our young footballers became the hero of the story, facing off in a football arena right out of a science fiction movie.
Featuring O Fenômeno himself
We launched the experience with the help of the OG Ronaldo: R9. With academy kids in the crowd, he spoke with local changemakers Coach Dan Jacob and Budreya Faisal in an inspiring panel about the bright future of football in the Middle East. He even got involved in the mini-game action, leading his team to victory like we’ve seen so many times before. Classic.
With Nike and Ronaldo, we started the drumbeat of activity that’s changing the face of the game, making football more participatory and accessible for all.