2025 was, without a doubt, the summer of women’s sport. While Chloe Kelly hopped, skipped and jumped to a second back-to-back European title with England and 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang cemented her spot in Lioness squads for years to come, MatchFit were at the heart of it all.
Sarina Weigman’s squad continued to impress out in Switzerland and the MatchFit team helped to hold down the fort here in the UK.
Our work began in the lead up to the tournament, working with Topps to launch their new UEFA Women’s Euro sticker book with the help of England legend Jill Scott. We selected 100 women’s football content creators from around the UK to activate an influencer gifting campaign that saw every single one of them receive a personalised Topps sticker and their very own sticker book (as well as some packs to kick start their collection).
Each influencer was also gifted a personalised friendship bracelet - we’re still obsessed with the Swiftie bracelet swapping trend! The campaign resulted in 95 organic posts across all social channels that reached an audience of 3.92 million.
Utilising Jill Scott as Topps’ brand ambassador, we also announced this new collection to press, placing interviews with Jill in the likes of Forbes and 90min. Armed with bracelets and enough stickers to impress even the greatest of collectors, we headed into the tournament with tons of excitement, ready to see our favourite stickers come to life on the pitch.
While many fans travelled out to Switzerland to see the Lionesses in action, and taste the best chocolate in Europe, some watched England’s success from the comfort of their homes. Nevertheless, the Football Association ensured that fans were never too far away from their heroes with the launch of ‘That Lionesses Podcast Connected by EE’.
We were provided with behind-the-scenes access to the Lionesses while they journeyed through the rollercoaster that was the Euros, sharing smiles, anecdotes and even the odd tear. Our work saw us amplify the podcast by identifying engaging quotes and sharing these with our key women’s football media to bolster their coverage of the summer’s hottest tournament.
We targeted traditional online and broadcast media, as well as social media creators and saw huge success with quotes landing in The Athletic, Women’s Health, Sky Sports News, The Times and The Mirror. We secured 113 pieces of coverage in total, reaching an audience of 191.85million across all platforms.
Our journey with That Lionesses Podcast Connected by EE saw us tune in to different members of the team each week, watching them shine on the big stage and cast smiles across the nation off of it.
Once the tournament was in full swing we continued our momentum with the FA, hosting a series of community Big Football Day events in collaboration with The National Lottery.
To cheer on the Lionesses back home, we spotlighted two events: one in Birmingham before the England vs. Netherlands game, and another in Manchester before the England vs. Wales game. We collaborated with football talent such as Aston Villa’s Lucy Staniforth and Manchester United’s Millie Turner, as well as other personalities including former heptathlete Denise Lewis and Love Island stars Will and Jessie.
Our goal was to raise awareness, showcase opportunities, and rally as many girls and women as possible behind the Lionesses. Media attendance at both events helped amplify our message, securing coverage on talkSPORT, ITV, Capital Radio, Hits Radio, and more.
It was amazing to see so many women and girls playing football in Birmingham and Manchester while the Lionesses proved that there is a pathway for upcoming stars.
Once England had secured passage to the semi-finals, we were back in action, but this time hosting a watch party at London’s newest women’s sports hub - Style Of Our Own on Regent Street. Tensions were high as we gathered lifestyle content creators and women’s football fans together to watch the all-important clash with Italy.
Music, face painting and absolute vibes, fans at SOOO did not stop dancing as they watched Chloe Kelly fire a 119 minute winner past the Italians.
With the final now firmly in sight, we took some time to think about the historical victory we were just moments away from witnessing. Ahead of the nail-biting match, we hosted a Made For This Game media day with the FA, enlisting the help of Tottenham Hotspur defender Ella Morris and England legend Rachel Yankey.
Heroes of the past and present, Ella and Rachel took to the pitch at AFC Leyton to inspire the next generation of women’s players. Sky Sports, Sky News, ITV London and BBC London were among the media in attendance, broadcasting to eager fans across the nation who couldn’t wait to see England take on Spain.
Just one day later, we were back at Style Of Our Own to host the greatest watch party of the summer. With Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyatt on the decks, football creators StuntPegg and Rose Ruland mingling with the football community and content creators Phoebe and Daisy Tomlinson ready to witness history - we pressed play on what was set to be the most intense match up of the summer.
A passionate back-and-forth saw us take the result to penalties. Hope started to fade amongst the fans but England made sure we had nothing to worry about, winning 3-1 from the spot.
It’s been a huge summer of football for the MatchFit team and we are beyond proud to have played even a small part in the Lionesses journey to success.
