From The Roots Up
Football Foundation, 2023
Turning government policy into clear, shareable grassroots storytelling.
MY ROLE
Led the project from strategy to delivery, turning a dense policy report into clear, story-led content built for social.
CONTEXT
From The Roots Up was built on national facility planning, participation data and investment modelling used to direct grassroots funding.
Backed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, it set out the case for continued investment in facilities and access to sport. But the report was written for policy audiences. Dense, technical and unlikely to reach beyond them.
Without translation, the research wouldn’t have travelled beyond government and policy circles, limiting its impact and weakening its role in supporting the case for further investment.
The aim was to make that case clear to a wider audience.
STRATEGY
Simplify the story
We distilled the report to six clear, human truths about grassroots sport. Inspired by the Financial Times’ 2022 mortgage rates editorial, translating complex financial data into clear, relatable visuals, the focus was on clarity and helping people grasp the story quickly.
Designed for distribution
Six standalone assets allowed partners to lift and share the campaign across their own channels.
Ground it in grassroots
Working with design agency Studio Mean, we built a visual system rooted in real places and people, moving away from abstract policy comms.
Bridge policy and public
Recognising that policy still happens in person, we produced a newspaper-style leaflet for distribution at events in the House of Commons.
Content was shaped in collaboration with the DCMS to keep the message accurate while making it easier to understand.
WHAT CHANGED
From The Roots Up travelled far beyond the Football Foundation’s own channels, with pickup from The FA, England Football and Government partners.
Partners had a clearer way to talk about grassroots investment, across social, media and in government settings.
Four months later, the UK Government confirmed a £400m commitment to grassroots facilities through the Football Foundation.
FIRST-EVER
static campaign shared by the UK Government on social media
PROMOTED
by government and partner settings, including the House of Commons
215%
increase in social engagement vs 2022 government report
Images: Football Foundation, Studio MEAN