This summer saw the biggest tournament to date for women’s football - UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.

For Nike, the core objective was to raise the visibility and profile of the women’s game - showcasing the players as the sporting heroes they are. For too long the narrative around women’s football has been one of growth and “tomorrow”, but this tournament would take centre stage in the summer’s sporting calendar and Nike’s focus was on supporting and elevating the icons of today’s game.

Should the Lionesses finally bring England footballing glory for the first time in 50 years, Nike wanted to be ready. All the more impressive given that England’s women had only had its female players playing as full-time professionals for four years.

We needed to celebrate this iconic moment in English sporting history, with a cut-through creative idea that would make all of England and the world take notice.

"It's Coming Home" has become an iconic phrase representing the nation's naive optimism before the inevitable hurt and disappointment of a bitter defeat. However, it’s a song that’s rooted in the history of the men’s game.

There could be no part of football culture that would be more powerful for the Lionesses to appropriate and reclaim as their own. This was an opportunity to put an end to decades of national disappointment. The fact that it might be the women - would make it even more powerful.

To mark the Lionesses' victory there was only one word for this moment: “HOME”.

And by combining this iconic word with one of the most iconic logos in the world - the Nike Swoosh - we were creating a visual asset that was both familiar and novel; iconic and shareable; and which we would become one of the defining visuals of the Lionesses’.

We needed to pivot how the world celebrates women’s football.

The women’s game hasn’t been regarded or celebrated on equal terms with the men’s game. Their achievements are not respected in the same manner. In spite of the growth of the game, and the increased skill and popularity, when people talk about “football” they are talking about the men’s game.

However, as the Lionesses neared the final of the Euros, English football fans began to dream of the possibility that an English team would finally lift a major trophy after 50 years of hurt.

This was a moment to celebrate, not just as a moment for women’s football, but for football full stop. This is the moment that an English football team finally brought glory back to England with Nike's Home logo featured across almost every mainstream media channel.

With record numbers watching, we had to cut-through.

Our moment: The final whistle.

Our media channel: The England players.

At the final whistle, players wore Home Swoosh tees and flags on the Wembley pitch as they celebrated in front of the world. They then went viral, as they gatecrashed Sarina’s press conference whilst singing ‘It’s Coming Home.’ Tees were distributed to players’ families and friends, and Nike athletes Phil Foden and Mason Mount.

Meanwhile, Nike.com and Niketown London switched to Home Swoosh creative, and we projected it on Wembley itself (posting to @nikelondon.)

The iconic tee quickly became the internet’s hottest item, with Twitter asking 'How can I get one!?’. Nike members could with a limited run through the Nike app.

At the next day’s victory parade HOME was unmissable on all the players and in the crowd. London Mayor Sadiq Khan wearing it on live news didn’t hurt.

250M+ earned media impressions and chances to see in the UK

The team were wearing the shirts in the celebration photos featured on the front and back covers of (almost) every major newspaper in the UK

£25m+ earned media value in the UK

160% traffic increase to Nike.com in the moments surrounding the end of the match

2000 new Nike members in 5 minutes after the final whistle

Home swoosh shirts “sold out” (they were available for free) in minutes

Countless homemade t-shirts were made by fans who didn’t manage to get their hands on authentic ones