Women’s Aid’s well known ‘He’s Coming Home’ campaign brought to life the harrowing truth that during large football games, domestic abuse spikes.

Football might not cause domestic abuse, but the intensity and emotion around the tournament does. According to research by Lancaster University, cases of domestic abuse increased by 38% when England lost a match and 26% when they won or drew. 

As the Euros heats up, Women’s Aid is continuing to draw attention to the darker side of football with a new campaign that builds on the ‘He’s Coming Home’ messaging.

For this Summer’s Euros, the campaign created with the help of House 337 subverts the messages on classic football scarves to highlight the emergency and severity of domestic abuse.

The scarves are decorated with different slogans: “No More Years of Hurt,” “He’s Coming Home,” and “England Till I Die,”. These phrases may be commonly associated with football but also strike a chord within the context of domestic abuse bringing to life the darker side of the game.

“Repurposing the most iconic and powerful phrases in British football is an incredibly effective way of raising awareness of domestic abuse. The campaign reaches the public during a critical time and mobilises people on a hugely important issue which wouldn’t otherwise have been on the agenda,” explains Charlie Hurrell, Chief Client Officer at House 337.

The scarves are being sent to key influencers and will be featured in a series of OOH ads and on social media. These ads will also highlight the rise in reports of domestic abuse during major tournaments.

The creative will see the football scarves alongside some of the common misogynistic terms and sayings that perpetuate the domestic abuse emergency. At first glance, audiences might not notice the wording woven into the scarf, but the message is designed to sink in the longer it is looked at. The subtlety of the campaign is designed to mirror how domestic abuse is often hidden in plain sight. While it is everywhere many people choose to ignore the signs and turn a blind eye which is what makes the issue so hard to tackle.

With the latest iteration of the campaign, Women’s Aid hopes to bring the issue of domestic abuse to the forefront in the pivotal run up to the election.

The original ‘He’s Coming Home’ campaign which launched to coincide with the World Cup had a major impact for the organisation.

“The 2022 campaign… was described as one of the most viral domestic abuse campaigns and was picked up by all major news outlets, as well as getting the attention of political figures like Keir Starmer, the Home Office, national police authorities, policymakers, local councils.” explains Hurrell, “It generated 23 million TikTok views and extensive sharing across platforms. As a result, Women’s Aid saw a 78% increase in traffic to its website driven by social media, and a 44% rise in visits to its donate page. There was also a 17% rise in visits to its information and support page.”

With the election looming and levels of violence against women at their highest while funding of women’s services is at an all-time low, the organisation hopes to use the Euros campaign to reignite conversation and push the issue back up the agenda.

“Football championships are a fantastic time for us to come together as a country through a game that many of us love. However, for many women and children living with an abuser, major football tournaments can be a time filled with fear. While domestic abuse is not caused by football, we know existing abuse can become more severe or frequent during big tournaments. It is vital that we raise awareness of this during this crucial time so that survivors know where they can get help and so that the public know how they can support charities like Women’s Aid.” adds Teresa Parker, Head of Media Brand & Relationships at Women’s Aid.

Capitalising on the cultural firepower of football, the campaign stops audiences in their tracks by offering a starkly different take on the festivities of the Euros and thrusting important conversations into the spotlight.