EE turns to footballers to promote BSL

Declan Rice, Rachel Corsie, Bukayo Saka, Ella Toone, Harry Kane, Lisa Evans, Dion Charles and Mary Earps have starred in a video promoting BSL for EE.

Devised by Havas Play, Support. It’s in Your Hands aims to promote BSL, as part of EE’s sponsorship of the home nations. It was created with support from the Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) and the Home Nations Football Associations.

This builds on the BSL presenters, Damaris Cooke and Rolf Choutan, who were hired by BT Sport last year, again in partnership with EE. This has been followed up by TNT Sports with monthly football programme, again presented by Cooke and Choutan.

The Support. It’s in Your Hands film has been created using a combination of archive footage, fan user-generated content and original content, capturing players and fans across different levels of the game. It will play at England’s friendly with Brazil on 23 March, and you can see it below. 

Other parts of the campaign include the EE BSL Challenge, which sees three male England players take on three Lionesses in an obstacle course that requires them to complete sign-based challenges with the help of four England Deaf squad players. This will be shown on FA partner channels.

In addition, five content creators, Shiona McClafferty, Jazzy Whipps, India Morse, Leon Walker Dobson and Ray Bradshaw, will produce content to teach BSL through a footballing lense.

Julie Ratcliffe, Royal Association for Deaf people chief operating officer, said: “The Royal Association for Deaf people proudly supports this campaign, dedicated to empowering football fans across the UK and championing inclusivity for deaf and hard of hearing communities. As one of the oldest charities supporting deaf people in the UK, RAD is delighted to offer our expertise and support to this initiative, which promises to upskill the nation in the basics of football themed BSL.”

Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director, BT & EE said: “We are committed to ensuring football is a sport for all. As the lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, we are proud to drive positive transformation and make the game more accessible for everyone. ‘Support. It’s In Your Hands’ aims to bring about tangible change and increase awareness of British Sign Language. We want to encourage everyone to play their part and make a difference to the shared enjoyment of the beautiful game.”

Stephen Hutchinson, head of commercial partnerships, The FA, said: “Making football a more inclusive ecosystem is hugely important and we are delighted to be working hand in hand with EE to empower all football fans to support people who are deaf or have hearing loss. It’s a sport we all love and everyone deserves to have a say in the football conversation. As part of their sponsorship of Wembley Stadium, we will be working with EE and Royal Association for Deaf people to upskill event staff to provide better support on match days and at concerts.”