Ahead of the summer men’s FIFA World Cup, EE has launched a new campaign that shows the power of sport in building positive communities and supporting young men. 

Young boys are growing up in challenging times. On social media, they are served up a slew of toxic influences in the form of the manosphere, where they are met with conflicting and confusing portrayals of masculinity. 

EE research collated in partnership with Professor Ben Hine found 42% of boys aged 11-16 come across content telling them ‘men shouldn’t show emotions’ or ‘boys need to toughen up’ at least a few times a week.

EE’s “Yes Boys” campaign has been designed to help build young boys up on and off the pitch and make them feel more supported online. Despite online influences, 65% of parents say the sport has had a positive impact on their son’s confidence and identity. While 71% say that a coach has equal or greater influence over their son's sense of masculinity than the content he sees online.

Football can be a positive tool against harmful online influences. The ‘Yes Boys’ campaign created by a cross-agency team from Publicis Groupe, including Saatchi & Saatchi and Digitas, taps into football fan culture to create offline communities that help young people feel safer online.

At the heart of the campaign, an emotive film from Saatchi & Saatchi accurately reflects the feeling of being a young person today and growing up in a world with conflicting messaging. Set to the Underworld’s 90s classic, ‘Born Slippy’, the dynamic film juxtaposes the harmful effects of the manosphere with the positive role that football communities can play. Putting their phones down to meet up with their teams, the spot shows the unifying cry of ‘Yes Boys!’ brings young people together over sport. 

The film is supported by an out-of-home campaign built around football culture and borrowing from the idea of tifos. Tifos are visual college displays created by fans and for fans. For this campaign, EE has worked with sports illustrator Daryl Rainbow, who is known for his bright and colourful work for Adidas and Arsenal. Out of home features Rainbow’s dynamic tifos, made up of illustrations of fans and players. 

Online, messages ‘From The Boys’ allows young ambassadors to tell their own personal stories of sport and online safety. Created by Digitas, this element of the campaign allows credible role models to tell real stories to audiences in a peer-led space. Through WhatsApp, the campaign is taken to a more personal space where young fans and their parents can interact with the campaign together. 

Partnerships and community platforms, led by WPP Sports & Ents, have also been crafted to spark intergenerational conversations around masculinity and developing community-first spaces such as the LADbible Portal.

“We know that growing up in an online world is hard for young people, with boys facing unique challenges,’ explained Kelly Engstrom, Brand and Marketing Communications Director at EE.

She continued: “Following our 2025 ‘Everyone Needs a Squad’ campaign, which championed the Lionesses and young girls, we are proud to highlight the vital role football plays in tackling negative online influences and building boys’ confidence and resilience through the launch of ‘Yes Boys.’”

As the lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, EE has worked to ensure the campaign moves beyond awareness to action. EE has partnered with online safety experts Internet Matters to create a free online learning hub, ‘The Mentor-Badge’, made with the support of the Home Nations’ Football Associations. The free-to-access resource has been designed to provide tools and guidance for coaches to support boys growing up online.

EE’s in-house agency The Exchange, is creating an array of social‑first content designed to connect with fans and families in the moments that matter most. From on the ground storytelling at the tournament to engaging with fans in the UK, the campaign will see EE engage with football culture as it unfolds.

Pitch Marketing Group is leading the earned PR strategy for the campaign, while EE’s partnerships agency, Havas Play has consulted across all aspects of the campaign. Media planning was handled by OpenConnect at WPP Media and OOH agency Posterscope.

The campaign demonstrates EE’s ongoing commitment to online safety and its in-depth understanding of the online space. By holding a mirror up to the experiences of young people, the campaign cuts into culture and shows the impact football can have.