Celebrating their 25-year anniversary of supporting football, Barclays have announced ‘The Lost Ball Project’.
We all know how disappointing it can be when a football gets lost up a tree, stuck on a fence or roof, or gets a dreaded puncture, so the initiative will see the bank give away 25,000 footballs across the UK, with customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs until 22 May.
An emotive film accompanying ‘Barclays Lost Ball Project’ captures the comedic loneliness of footballs lost to the game. From streets, parks and football pitches to railway bridges, schools and homes, still images of footballs lost flash up on screen, underlined by James Blunt’s poignant “Goodbye My Lover”, invoking a feeling of real, unadulterated Britain and encapsulating a sense of tragic comedy.
When Barclays became title sponsor of the Women’s Super League in 2019, it was the biggest investment ever made by a brand into women’s sport in the UK. Since then, women’s football has seen exponential growth, the Barclays Women’s Super League is now the most followed women’s domestic league with 3.2m followers and average attendance at matches up 283% since 21/22 season.
Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen great success, with the number of participating schools rising from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024. So far, Barclays has helped more than 2.5m schoolgirls access football.
As part of their partnership, Barclays and the Premier League are also coming together on a number of community initiatives to drive greater diversity across the future football workforce, particularly in under-represented groups. The partnership includes crucial backing and funding from Barclays, and a commitment to create pathways and positive opportunities for young people entering the world of work, breaking down barriers they may face and equipping them with the skills required for future leadership positions.
Supporting communities that need it the most, the Barclays Community Football Fund, in partnership with Sported, has supported over 3,300 community sport groups and benefited more than 530,000 individuals since 2022. Targeting groups in area of deprivation, the ground-breaking £1million-a-year fund supports young people from underrepresented background, including women and girls, racially diverse communities, those with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and lower socio-economic groups.
Tom Corbett, Group Head of Sponsorship, Barclays said: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years. Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers Lost Balls means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”