ABOUT

Challenge
The Red Lioness Pledge signalled a commitment by British pubs to screen and promote every live Women’s Super League and Lionesses match, while creating a welcoming environment for all.

On 7 November 2019, the Red Lion pub in Moorgate, London was transformed into the Red Lioness – lighting the touchpaper that would spark a nationwide movement to change the way we view women’s football forever.

With the addition of three letters, the UK’s most popular pub name became a defiant symbol of change. Kick-starting a commitment by over 1,000 pubs to screen and promote every live Women's Super League and women’s home nations match.

For 10 days we hosted a celebration of women’s football but created a legacy that would last a lifetime.

Because if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

Inspiration
BT’s brand mission is to remove the limits of today to release the potential of tomorrow. And in a sport where men walked on the moon before women could legally walk onto a football pitch - women’s football has faced more limits than most.

Fast forward 48 years and 1 billion fans watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup on TV. 77,000 packed Wembley to watch the Lionesses play Germany.

But women’s football was far from mainstream. In fact, not one pub was promoting or showing it in their venue. And campaigns like ‘Ask Angela’ highlighted a growing concern around the safety of women in pubs.

As primary sponsor of the national teams and broadcaster of the Women’s Super League (WSL), BT wanted to grow the women’s game.

Initially, we were asked to promote BT Sport as the new home of the WSL.

What we did, was so much more powerful.

Idea
The Red Lioness Pledge signalled a commitment by British pubs to screen and promote every live Women’s Super League and Lionesses match, while creating a welcoming environment for all.

On 7 November 2019, the Red Lion pub in Moorgate, London was transformed into the Red Lioness – lighting the touchpaper that would spark a nationwide movement to change the way we view women’s football forever.

With the addition of three letters, the UK’s most popular pub name became a defiant symbol of change. Kick-starting a commitment by over 1,000 pubs to screen and promote every live Women's Super League and women’s home nations match.

For 10 days we hosted a celebration of women’s football but created a legacy that would last a lifetime.

Because if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

Growth
From a target of 150 pledges in six months, over 1,000 pubs signed up to the Red Lioness Pledge in just two weeks.

The campaign has also strengthened BT Sport’s relationships with their Pubs and Clubs network – vital partners in the commercial success of the BT Sport business.

With 235 pubs closing every month, it’s imperative for pubs and BT Sport, that they adapt and find new revenue streams.

During the 10 days the Red Lioness was open, Greene King reported a 64% increase in like-for-like sales during the same period in 2018.

We proved that championing women’s football and welcoming its fans, could drive increased footfall, create a new business model and generate additional revenue.