Client: Sweaty Betty Foundation
“Change Starts in the Changing Room” transformed an overlooked facilities issue into a national conversation about girls’ participation, confidence and wellbeing, driving tangible policy influence and unlocking long-term funding for systemic change. Working with the Sweaty Betty Foundation, Fanclub identified an invisible barrier hiding in plain sight: one in three girls skip PE because of school changing rooms. Rather than relying on a traditional research-to-policy model, we used emotionally-led storytelling, co-creation and earned media to make the issue impossible to ignore. Girls became the campaign’s driving force, redesigning their own changing rooms through a national schools competition that generated authentic content, visual proof-points and widespread media engagement. Supported by emotionally-led films and advocates including Denise Lewis and Judy Murray, the campaign achieved 81 pieces of coverage across national and regional broadcast, print and digital media. Crucially, this momentum translated into policy impact. The campaign’s research was cited in the Government’s Game On report, which recommended improving privacy in changing rooms “to reduce anxiety and encourage sustained participation in PE”, turning a previously ignored issue into a recognised policy priority. The campaign also established the Sweaty Betty Foundation as a leading voice on girls’ participation in sport, contributing to a recent six-figure funding commitment from the London Marathon Foundation to scale the programme into more schools nationwide. Created on a modest budget, the campaign achieved national cut-through and real-world change not through paid media spend, but through creativity, participation and emotional resonance.
