The film opens on a broken down bus filled with a country football team. The steam pouring from the engine means one thing: they aren’t going to make the final match. The captain puts in a phone call to their club president with the bad news. Rather than forfeiting, the club president comes up with a plan.

We see her race around the town, picking up a motley crew, the pub owner, the policewoman, the priest, the stay-at-home dad, the delinquent, the Chinese restaurant server, the mechanic, amongst others.

It’s a bizarre looking team of back-ups who take the field. But they all have one thing in common team spirit.

As the other team smirks at this odd bunch of ring ins, the pub owner smiles back, revealing a few missing teeth. This isn’t his first rodeo on the field…

Our line “This isn’t country football. This is footy country.”

Football is a bit different in Australia. For one, we call it ‘footy’. Even so, the love for our footy would rival fandoms in any nation.

That’s why Australia’s biggest brands battle it out every single week on the side lines for a slice of the attention. But, unlike footy in other countries, celebrity cameos and special effects don’t really do the job. If you’re not doing it for the real fans, they will call bullshit.

Telstra, Australia’s biggest mobile network, is also the biggest sponsor of the game, but they were only putting their logo on signage which wasn’t making any meaningful connection with fans.

We needed something that broke through. Something that got people feeling Telstra understood the game and is part of the fabric of footy.

The campaign had incredible impact and connection considering that was only in market for 4 weeks.

55% of surveyed respondents said “it was the best ad they’d ever seen.” (truly)

Consumers felt that “the campaign reflected the best parts of Australian life and humanity in general”.

Results showed the campaign represented Australian ideals we don’t see much of anymore, like ‘a sense of community’. It gave consumers a feeling of nostalgia to see these values played out on their screens.

It stood out so much compared to the usual advertising that radio shows and footy shows began speaking about it during their own coverage.

The campaign was such a success that Telstra plan to keep it as a platform for years to come.

The campaign also validated the focus on regional footy, and Telstra invested a further 8 million dollars’ worth in grants used to help fund regional footy clubs.

Culturally, regional and remote Australia holds a special place in all of the country’s heart, even though the vast majority of the population live in Metro and coastal areas. It is seen as the home of the Australian spirit and character – one of tenacity, optimism, humour, and hard work.

This is also where the authentic ‘heart’ of football is, in grassroots and community clubs. The places where the community rallies together to support the teams, turning up to games and training, volunteering at the club canteens.

Not only does country footy play a huge role in bringing together rural and regional communities – it’s also the lifeblood of the game nationally, with many of Australia’s best players hailing from country areas. Proof of this is the fact that while just 28% Australians live in regional and remote areas, 50% Dally M Winners (NRL player of the season) and 60% Brownlow Medal Winners (AFL player of the season) are from the country.

In choosing to base our football story in this heartland, eschewing footage of star players and sporting prowess, we were tapping into something deeper and more relatable to Australian audiences: the belief we approach sport in the same way we approach life – show up, give it everything, help each other out.