BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, FRANCE — LAFOURMI, a leading creative agency in the sports sector, has collaborated with DECATHLON FOOTBALL to unveil the official match balls for the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League from the 2024 to 2025 season through 2026 to 2027. The partnership with UEFA underscores DECATHLON’s dedication to quality and innovation in football, with LAFOURMI playing a key role in the global launch campaign, showcasing the brand’s commitment to excellence in the sport.
A Partnership that changes the game
The new partnership between DECATHLON and UEFA is changing the dynamics of football with the development of the most technically advanced professional-grade ball to date. Tested by more than 10 professional teams, the new balls meet the highest standards of performance and reliability, and though crafted for the best players in the world in the highest level competitions, are available in stores, for players of all levels, defying logic.
As Decathlon has always done, this ball defies logic
Logic says you can’t set up an outdoor tent in two seconds. Logic says you can’t speak underwater with a snorkel. Logic says you can’t make high-tech products accessible to all. But defying logic is, and has always been, at the core of Decathlon’s DNA.
This is the iconic spirit that LAFOURMI’s campaign promotes for the launch of these new UEFA footballs, which also defy logic. Because logic says you don’t usually play with the same football as professional players. It also says that only a few people can afford a professional football. Or that a ball can’t make you faster, better, or happier.
Thanks to a strong R&D process leading to groundbreaking properties and Decathlon’s commitment to making professional-grade footballs accessible to everyone, this football defies logic.
Highlighting the development of the new UEFA footballs, the campaign features a one-minute hero film and shorter formats (30s, 15s, 6s), as well as print. It will be rolled out in two phases, starting July 16, with a second launch in September revealing new assets. The extensive global media plan targets key European markets like the UK, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal, and extends to Brazil, China, Chile, and more.
To effectively engage diverse audiences, particularly younger football enthusiasts, each country will customize the assets and media plan locally. Utilizing multiple platforms, including web, social media, and in-store channels, as well as Apple Vision Pro, DECATHLON becomes the first brand to promote a product on the new spatial computer.
Thibaut Cornet, President at LAFOURMI, said, “We’re thrilled to bring this campaign to life for a brand that has consistently challenged conventional wisdom and set new standards. When common sense dictates that pitching a tent takes more than two seconds, that breathing underwater with a snorkel is impossible, or that the best ball is never the most affordable, Decathlon breaks new ground. This is what makes the brand truly exceptional. Our film tells this story: defying logic and opening new possibilities.”
Meanwhile, Fabien Brosse, Global Chief Sports and Products Officer at DECATHLON, shared, “Decathlon is delighted to embark on this wonderful partnership with UEFA as the official match ball supplier of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. By our ball being selected, it supports and confirms our continuous efforts on producing quality and high technical products, in which they have the capacity to be used at the highest level of the sporting game.”
Frédéric Boistard, Federated Sports Director at DECATHLON, added, “Football is a sport that completely embodies DECATHLON’s Ready-To-Play motto. It can be played anywhere, by anyone, as long as you have a group of people and a ball. KIPSTA aims at providing a crucial element to each match, therefore enhancing every player’s experience on a field, whether it is for professional ones during a UEFA match, or in a school playground for young beginners.”
CREDITS:
BRAND : DECATHLON
Team Sports Marketing Director : Anthony Farine
Team Sports Art Director : Thomas Senez
Team Sports Image Manager : Benjamin Rodriguez
Team Sports Marketing Project Leader : Séverine Logez
AGENCY : LAFOURMI
Agency management : Céline Jobert & Thibaut Cornet
Chief Creative Officer : Clément Cimarro
Strategy Director : Jordane Rabute
Copywriter : Clément Cimarro
Art director : Julien Hablainville
Head of studio : Thibault Greffin
TV Producer : Barbara Vaira
Commercial director : Raphaël Thierry
Account director : Marie-Julie Herrmann
Account manager : Hugo Dhinaut
Traffic manager : Sophie Boule
PRODUCTION : WANDA
Director : Frederic De Pontcharra
Producer : China Presles
Production manager : Billie Aleman
Director of photography : Julien Lascar
Chief Editor : Tommy Gury
Colorist : Vincent Amor
Color Grading : ORAGE
VFX : ORAGE
Post-Production : ORAGE
Post-Producer : Olivier Glandais
Executive production : Colonel
Music : 86Tales
Sound Production : Circonflex
Main Photographer : Frederic De Pontcharra
KV launch Photographer : Aziz Camara
