| Story | With the FIFA U-17 World Cup starting in India from October 6th, adidas’ new campaign showcases how football has caught the imagination of young India both on and off the pitch. Conceptualised by Cheil WW India, the film captures the incredible landscapes of our country, from the streets of old Delhi and Mumbai, the beaches of Goa, to the legendary maidens of Kolkata. The film beautifully captures the challenges and constraints of a young footballer in India who is up against it; he is a creator, pushing the boundary to achieve his football dream. He is poised to write his story and create his future. It’s time to kick-off a football revolution! Sharing his thoughts on the campaign, Sean van Wyk, Senior Marketing Director, adidas India, said, “The football creator is obsessed. His appetite to play and consume football across platforms is unrelenting. Our campaign aims to capture the emotion and intensity behind every young player and inspire them to take their rightful position on the world stage. It’s their story, their sweat, to emerge as the best which is the essence of our campaign. adidas has been at the forefront of the game across the world and with India being the host nation for the 2017 FIFA U-17World Cup, we want to inspire the Indian youth to create their own future.” Speaking about the campaign, Aneesh Jaisinghani, Group Creative Director, Cheil WW India said, “It is for the first time that FIFA U17 World Cup is taking place in India and we wanted to take this opportunity to inspire the youth to see football as their prospective future. For this, we opted for a slow paced execution that romanticized the rituals, the passion and the obsession of these young footballers irrespective of what level of football or where they play. This campaign is yet another step towards achieving adidas’ mission of encouraging a culture of sports in India. We hope to see it becoming an anthem soon!” The film is shot in various parts of India to show varied landscapes and to show the popularity of the game of football amongst the youth across India. The music, the hymn in the background, has been composed to act like a chant driving these young footballers. In the build-up to the tournament adidas intensified its commitment to grassroots development by partnering with the 2017 FIFA under-17 World Cup Local Organising Committee for its Mission XI Million programme. The Mission XI Million was an initiative aimed at reaching out to millions of young players across India with the sole objective to increase participation in football across schools. During these Mission XI Million festivals, adidas conducted master-classes with two-time former Nigerian world-cup player, Afolabi Rabiu to further enhance the experience for participants. adidas has consistently invested in multiple initiatives to nurture grassroots football in India and create new opportunities to inspire the young creators through various initiatives such as the FC Bayern Youth Cup, adidas Uprising, the BASE (a premium football destination in Delhi-NCR) and other schools and grassroots tournaments. |