Uefa Launches YouTube Channel To Grow Women’s Soccer

Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, has launched a new YouTube channel for its Together #WePlayStrong brand, partnering with a range of the biggest names in the women’s league, to provide a breadth of regular content.

The roster of top female players who will be added to the ‘content squad’ include Swedish defender Petronella Ekroth, who moved to Italian giants Juventus this season, alongside UEFA Women’s EURO and 2017/18 UEFA Women’s Champions League winner, Shanice van de Sanden and world champion freestyle footballer and #WePlayStrong ambassador Liv Cooke.

The new initiative on the video-sharing platform is part of the association’s ongoing strategy to grow the participation of girls’ and women’s soccer in each of its 55 member nations.

The channel will offer a variety of fresh, original content, focusing on themes such as daily insights into players’ routines, funny challenges, beauty and style content, and health and fitness advice, as well as providing a platform for inspiring women and players across Europe, who love football, to share their experiences of the beautiful game.

Lisa Evans (Arsenal and Scotland), Eunice Beckmann (Madrid), Austrian duo Laura Feiersinger (FFC Frankfurt) and Sarah Zadrazil (Turbine Potsdam) will return to create more exclusive and varied content after taking part in #WePlayStrong’s pilot YouTube vlog series last year, which received nearly 6 million views.

Ekroth said: “I loved watching the players last season and I’m excited to see what I can bring to the #WePlayStrong channel this time around.

“For me, it’s important to show people that professional footballers do have normal lives in addition to working hard on the pitch.”

Van de Sanden added: “I was so proud to be able to share my story through the #WePlayStrong documentary series Strong Is… last year and I’m looking forward to being able to continue to share the message that it’s important to be yourself no matter what.”

“I like to stand out on and off the football pitch and I’m particularly looking forward to sharing my passion for style.”

The #WePlayStrong YouTube channel has been created to cultivate the growing community of girl and women football players and fans, encouraging more to feel proud to play and feel inspired by showcasing confidence and togetherness.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, director of marketing at UEFA said: “The #WePlayStrong YouTube channel is a platform designed to inspire girls and women around the world.

“Our aim is to not only make #WePlayStrong a thriving digital platform but an inclusive and supportive community.

“Our social media engagement has doubled since the first year of our campaign, and we want to continue to produce content which is entertaining, aspirational and relatable.

“In a world where YouTube plays a huge role in the life of girls and women, we’re proud to have added three more inspiring women footballers to our channel, and we’re looking forward to sharing their professional and personal journeys online.”