CASE STUDY
ADIDAS
STRATEGY | CREATIVE SERVICES | IMPLEMENTATION | SROI MEASUREMENT
Bringing the adidas brand purpose, “through sport, we have the power to change lives,” to life, we developed the adidas Breaking Barriers Project to make sport equal for all.
The world of sport is unequal. Seeking to confront this unjust reality, adidas is taking action to level the playing field, starting with tackling gender inequity.
Systemic barriers—from lack of access and representation to cultural stigma and self-doubt—mean that women, girls, and nonbinary people are too often left on the sidelines. With girls across Europe routinely dropping out of sports at nearly double the rate of boys, the gender inequities holding young athletes back on the pitch have a negative ripple effect across society.
Breaking down these barriers lays the foundations of a more accessible, equitable, and safer world for all. Committing to solving this global challenge brings the adidas organizational purpose—through sport, we have the power to change lives—to life and contributes to a more sustainable, purposeful brand that consumers and fans are calling for.
adidas asked our team at 17 Sport to respond to the challenge.
THE CHALLENGE
Marie Mélodie Petitjean, Mariam Garba, and Sylla Massibiry | adidas Breaking Barriers Champion
THROUGH SPORT, WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES
ADIDAS BRAND PURPOSE
We developed the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, a multi-year Project committed to breaking down barriers for women, girls, and nonbinary people across Europe to ensure that—from the locker room to the boardroom—all belong.
By working together with experts in the field of gender equity and sports and nonprofit sports organizations from across Europe, we have created tools that provide the sports industry with the necessary resources to lead change.
These tools stretch from the integration of the Project into communities through local leaders and coaches—the Breaking Barriers Champions—to adidas brand campaigns for the Women’s World Cup and UEFA EURO 2024, the development of an online gender equity training platform, and a 6-month incubator for tech-based projects supporting greater access to sports for women, girls, and nonbinary people.
The Project kicked off in early 2020—here’s a look at what we’ve done so far.
OUR SOLUTION
INITIAL PROJECT GOALS
5
15
YEARS OF IMPACT
NON-PROFITS
100
50k
CHAMPIONS
WOMEN, GIRLS, AND NONBINARY PEOPLE
A Future Without Barriers | Hear from Maymi’s story
Guiding girls into sports | Learn from Jea’s story
Empowering London's Youth | See Leanne’s story
THE BREAKING BARRIERS ACADEMY
The adidas Breaking Barriers Academy is an online gender equity training program designed to help everyone—regardless of previous experience—take the first step towards driving true equity in sports.
This robust tool includes quizzes, videos, articles, downloadable resources, and more to support Breaking Barriers initiatives and any coach, leader, or administrator looking to support their club in becoming more gender inclusive.
With the Breaking Barriers Academy, users gain access to interactive activities, theoretical frameworks, and exclusive insights from professional athletes and coaches so that they can join adidas in their ambition to make sport equal for all.
We currently have seven courses, covering topics from menstrual awareness to gender-sensitive communications and creating safer environments for all athletes.
The Breaking Barriers Academy | Be part of the change
17 SPORT’S ROLE
Concept development and strategy
Course content strategy
Digital project execution
Distribution strategy and rollout
Creation of all 2D and 3D content
Ongoing management of the Breaking Barriers Academy
“Through sport, we have the power to change lives, and creating gender equitable spaces for all is vital to ensure these benefits are inclusive of everyone. The 17 Sport team has been integral to bringing our pan-European gender equity project to life.”
Clementine Painter, Director Strategic Planning-Purpose and Sustainability, adidas Europe
With over 5,000 words and phrases used to replace the word ‘period’ across the globe, it’s no secret that most people are more comfortable talking about sweating, nipples, and belly buttons than they are about periods. This discomfort extends to the sports environment, directly impacting the participation of menstruating players and often leading to them dropping out altogether.
25% of girls globally drop out of sports during adolescence, and 65% of menstruators report period 'leaking’ as their number one concern when playing sports.*
Comprised of adidas athletes Jazmin Sawyers, Michelle Coleman, and Sarah Zadrazil, Team Period is dedicated to breaking down menstruation-related barriers through the seventh adidas Breaking Barriers Academy course—It’s Time to Talk. Period: Advancing Menstrual Awareness in Sports.
Team period
Created in partnership with the Well HQ, this course dives into topics related to menstruation in sports, including:
The benefits of cycle-tracking
Fostering inclusion in physical and emotional sports environments
Navigating sensitive conversations
Additionally, we launched an empowering social campaign on both the athletes’ channels and adidas networks. This campaign highlighted Team Period’s experiences navigating menstruation throughout their careers and aimed to break the stigma around menstruation in the sports world.
We then took the learnings from It’s Time to Talk. Period: Advancing Menstrual Awareness in Sports to the ground with the Menstrual Awareness Workshops. By joining forces with Team GB, Manchester United, and FC Rosengård, we’ve been able to open the dialogue about periods with young athletes and their coaches across Europe.
*1 in 4 girls around the world leave sports during adolescence. Research by scientists at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham (2019)
*65% of menstruators reported ‘leaking’ as the number 1 concern when participating in sport. Research by adidas.
EURO 2024: THE FOOTBALL CUP
We took the Breaking Barriers Project to its biggest stage yet during UEFA EURO 2024, hosting an inclusive tournament at the Home of adidas Football. The FootbALL Cup: Breaking Barriers in Berlin was a celebration of the joy of football with local nonprofit teams supporting women, LGBTQIA+, and ethnic minority communities.
The event brought over 1,500 attendees and 54 players together to break barriers and promote equity in sports for all using Football3 methodology—demonstrating that the rules of the game can be adapted to support intercultural exchange, conflict prevention, and inclusivity.
OVER
1500
54
ATTENDEES
PLAYERS
In addition to watching the tournament—hosted by Amina Ndao with special guests Viktoria Schnaderbeck, Lina Magull, and Eniola Aluko—attendees participated in sports challenges against adidas athletes Maymi Asgari and Thomai Vardali, customized adidas gear with exclusive Breaking Barriers patches, and attended an afterparty with local DJ Natalie Robinson.
THE BREAKING BARRIERS PROJECT’S IMPACT TO DATE
100+
CHAMPIONS
We have engaged over 100 local leaders who drive gender equity initiatives for local women, girls, and nonbinary people.
15
NON-PROFITS
We are supporting 15 non-profit sports organizations across Europe, increasing their capacity to provide greater access, equity, and safety in their communities.
87k
WOMEN, GIRLS, AND NONBINARY PEOPLE
We have reached over 87,000 women, girls, and nonbinary people through the Project’s initiatives and programs.
