Premier League's 30th-anniversary ad campaign shifts the focus to community football

FCB Inferno's ad highlights the league's financial support for grassroots players.

Written By: Tom May

19 August 2022

Crowds of football fans sitting on stadium steps, with a young girl in a white and yellow tie-dye shirt smiling at the camera in the foreground

In the 30 years since the formation of the Premier League, professional football has changed in the UK beyond all recognition.

These changes may not have been universally praised: many have decried how the 'people's game' has been transformed into a relentless money-making machine.

But ultimately, football is more popular than ever, safer than in the days of widespread hooliganism and poor stadium safety, and more accessible across class, gender and racial lines.

Young girl with curly hair sitting in stadium seats smiling at camera, with other spectators visible behind her in the stands

A crowd of football fans with various scarves and shirts climbing stadium steps outside a modern curved stadium building

The Premier League itself has become the most popular football league globally and today is broadcast to 800 million homes in 188 countries. And while the big money that it generates can be a double-edged sword, the organisation would like us to recognise the huge financial support it gives to grassroots football.

To hammer the point home, it's marking its big 3-0 with a major advertising campaign that showcases its community programmes, which are delivered by 110 football clubs across the UK using Premier League funding.

The campaign

The 90-second ad, which you can view below, highlights the impact the Premier League has made on and off the pitch through the eyes of a young girl while looking ahead to its next 30 years. The campaign will appear online, in cinemas and in print.

Entitled 'More than 90 minutes', it was created by Greg Harvey and Mike MacKenzie of London-based creative agency FCB Inferno, directed by Ben Brand and produced by Great Guns.

"As our young hero says, the game is just the start," says MacKenzie. "The campaign is a celebration of 30 years of the Premier League, but it's not all about football. We're looking at the incredible impact the Premier League has had on the wider community. They've got a great story to tell, and it's been a pleasure to help them tell it."

The cameos

Former Premier League stars Michael Owen, Jamie Redknapp, Micah Richards and Teddy Sheringham all make cameos in the ad, as does TV mathematician and Manchester United supporter Rachel Riley.

Two women stand in a school classroom, with storage units and a whiteboard visible behind them

The star of Countdown and 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown helped create Premier League Primary Stars maths resources, which helps children to learn through the power of football in more than 18,500 primary schools across England and Wales.

Riley said, "I'm a passionate football supporter and very passionate about education. Using the game's appeal to inspire children in classrooms to learn is a brilliant method, and we're all looking forward to what can be achieved over the next 30 years."