Software giant’s tools being used to help increase exposure of lower league clubs.
Adobe is aiming to grow soccer “at all levels” through its partnership with the Women’s FA Cup, according to the software giant’s vice president of international marketing.
Adobe inked a three-year deal with the Football Association (FA) last November that includes the tech firm becoming title sponsor of the Women’s FA Cup. Fan engagement is also a key focus of the tie-up, with teams in the competition getting access to and relevant training for Adobe Express, an all-in-one content creation application that makes it easy to create social media and brand content.
Speaking to SportsPro, Adobe’s Simon Morris believes the company’s tools can be used to increase the exposure of lower league clubs and make it easier for teams to engage fans and increase awareness on digital channels, boosting attendance and participation.
“We feel that with the Women’s FA Cup it’s a property that has fantastic reach in the grassroots community across the country, which is something really important for Adobe,” said Morris.
“Adobe talks about creativity for all and that’s about empowering anyone who has a story to tell.
“We like the fact that [the Women’s FA Cup] had a broad reach across the country with 460 clubs and we wanted to make sure that we can help to grow the game at all levels, not just at the elite level.
“We’re seeing some great trajectory of the elite level, but we really want to help the clubs right at the grassroots tell their stories.”
Adobe has also announced English soccer stars Alessia Russo and Khiara Keating as brand ambassadors. Morris said the pair will support the company to increase fan engagement and inspire the next generation of young girls.
“Alessia [Russo] and Khiara [Keating] are both up and coming footballers that have got good profiles across the country,” he continued. “I think they’ll be super inspiring to girls and women across the country. They are really excited by what we want to achieve.
“They will be deeply involved in the workshops. We’ve had over 90 clubs sign up to Adobe Express workshops, we gave all the clubs the opportunity to get Adobe Express Premium [for] free.
“They will be part of that training, they’ll help us deliver those workshops. They’ve both got social platforms and so we just felt they had the perfect fit to help us along this journey.”
In addition to the Women’s FA Cup, Morris said that Adobe was collaborating more broadly with English soccer’s governing body.
“We are working very closely with the FA in terms of their ambitions for the [Women’s FA Cup], but also in terms of the digital journey that the FA are on,” continued Morris.
“We are equipping the FA with all of Adobe’s products, so Creative Cloud, Adobe Firefly, Acrobat and Express, so they can create amazing content for all of their social platforms across all their properties.
“It’s a very close partnership with the FA. We both share an ambition to continue along the trajectory that the competition is on.
“But I think for both the FA and Adobe, it’s important that we see that run all the way through the competition that’s not just at the elite level. We want to see it run across the board.”