THE TRUSSELL TRUST
THE HUNGRY GAMES
BRIEF
Last year, food banks in the Trussell community distributed 3.1 million emergency food parcels – nearly double the number from five years ago.
Yet, four in every five football fans say that food banks should not need to exist in the UK, even though fans are unwittingly supporting the stigma and shame around food banks through something that is so central to the game – the chants.
Our brief was to harness the collectivism of football communities and the cultural power of the game to shift public attitudes around the need for food banks.
IDEA
“Bin dippers”, “Feed the Scousers”, “Eating rats in their council house”. Football fans have long used poverty as a punchline, especially when tribal rivalries play out in chants and online.
We set out to reframe the conversation around food poverty by engaging the football community on its own terms through voices it trusts, content it recognises, and platforms it uses daily. By using the word “hunger” in the way fans hear it every weekend, and then hitting them with the twist, we were able to land a serious issue in a language that football fans understand.
We partnered with Bryan’s Gunn, a creator known for remix-style football commentary that blends cultural insight with fan humour. His real name is Will, and for him, this was personal. When his wife’s family arrived in the UK from Bosnia, they used Trussell food banks.
X was the primary launch platform due to its dominance in football discourse and the high presence of sports journalists, creators and deeply engaged fans. Plus how great, that a platform now considered a cesspit by some has a chance to deliver some real-world good.
We also created a Football vs Hunger Charter, signed by 13 clubs across all four UK nations at launch including Liverpool, Everton, St Johnstone and Motherwell. The Charter asked clubs and fans to take a stand and challenge food poverty publicly, as well as not accept chanting around poverty in matches.
RESULTS
523,000 video views, 414,000 unpaid on X – hero video generated strong organic traction, supported by reposts from Mundial, Guardian Football, Football Joe, and others.
4.8 million social reach – amplified by national journalists and public figures including Richard Osman, John Cross, and Jim White.
427 million editorial reach – 72 pieces of media coverage across 57 national outlets, including The Athletic, The Independent, and Football Clichés podcast.