For 46 years, the Netherlands Women’s National Football Team have been known as ‘de Oranje Leeuwinnen’ - the Orange Lionesses. It’s what they’re called by the press, by their fans and by themselves. But for 46 years, they’d worn a lion as their crest.

We worked in partnership with Nike and the KNVB (The Royal Dutch Football Association) to change the national team’s crest from a lion to a lioness. It was the first time Nike collaborated with a football federation to change a national logo.

The lioness crest was designed to retain the original look and feel of the lion crest. The change aimed to be subtle enough to respect Dutch football heritage and keep both crests in the same “family”, while being bold enough to show a progression and be obviously female.

The change was supported by the Royal Council and approved by governing footballing bodies to be applied to all match kits moving forward.

The crest was also applied across a wide range of campaign collateral. From ‘stadium’ jerseys, special edition kit boxes, t-shirts, retail signage, event installations and even the team bus.

The campaign saw success across press, engagement metrics, product demand, and culture:

- Press described the design as “simple, brilliant and empowering” with coverage from the likes of Buzzfeed, Its Nice That, and DeZeen.

- Campaign events were attended by 360+ fans and media. And the film’s completion rate was highest among our target audience, reaching 1.1M.

- Demand for Women’s Football product on Nike.com is up 360% vs. last year.

- The work had significant cultural impact, with the crest being unveiled in front of the Dutch - Royal Palace and selected to be minted onto official coins & stamps.

- The energy was contagious - the Dutch-hosted UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 saw a new record set for attendance of a women’s football match in the Netherlands (+21K) and was the the most watched Women’s Euro in history.

Dutch football may be experiencing it’s darkest times, well at least the men’s team. The women’s team, however, has been experiencing an upswell of energy and excitement. And without any real support or exposure.

This environment has fostered a unique mindset in women’s football in the Netherlands - especially among young girls. A mindset foged away from shiny stadiums, spotlights and endorsements. A mindset of girls who have pure love for the game.

With Netherlands hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, Nike wanted to celebrate this unique mindset, elevate women’s football, and inspire all Dutch female athletes.

The project’s budget was around €150k and ran across all of The Netherlands.