Nationwide’s ‘Respect starts small’ celebrates the grassroots of women’s football

As England gear up to play Spain in the quarter finals of the Euros, there’s a big opportunity for women’s football to go to the next level in terms of visibility and national support.

Nationwide is focusing on the ups and downs of a talented young footballer, 11 year-old Aysia, in this latest instalment of VCCP’s “Respect starts small” campaign. The idea is to demonstrate that Nationwide supports a mutually respectful society.

Mark Brayton, marketing director at Nationwide Building Society said: “We want to help create a society that’s built on mutual respect and so wanted to play our part by promoting this message in a meaningful way. Nationwide Building Society was founded on a clear social purpose and our commitment to supporting our members and the society we live in remains today.”

Like EE, Nationwide is also taking a stance against the amount of online hate that women in football receive. A social media campaign asks young females to write open letters with advice on how to tackle this hate.

Women’s football has come a long way, and it no longer looks like virtue signalling or cost cutting to build a campaign around the sport. Let’s hope the England team can go as far.

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