THE CHALLENGE
After parting ways with FIFA, EA SPORTS needed to build excitement for its new football franchise, EA SPORTS FC 24. With the Women’s World Cup coming to Australia, it wanted to use its partnership with Sam Kerr to connect with fans and leave something lasting for the next generation.
THE IDEA
We took Sam Kerr’s pitch out of the game and built it for real. In partnership with PCYC Auburn, we recreated the in-game design as a permanent five-a-side football pitch, complete with custom-dyed turf and intricate detailing. A virtual football world became a place the local community could actually play.
HOW PEOPLE ENGAGED
Local schoolgirls were first onto the pitch, with Ian Wright and Craig Foster joining the launch during the Women’s World Cup. PlayStation stations connected the real pitch to its virtual counterpart. Through FC Futures, the experience continued with a year of free weekly football sessions for girls, plus coaching clinics and training camps led by Western Sydney Wanderers coaches and players.
WHAT IT BUILT
Millions of media impressions, with coverage across ABC, SMH, Optus Sport, Fox Sports and Seven. PCYC Auburn’s first permanent football facility. And a lasting investment in girls’ grassroots football, giving the next generation of potential Matildas a place to start.
