Grey for Good launches #ClearThePitch – a project to get soccer fans to support the cause of clearing land mines in post-conflict zones

Today, on International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Grey for Good, the philanthropic arm of Grey Group Singapore, has teamed up with DanChurchAid (DCA) to drive support for creating safer communities in post-conflict zones around the world – communities free of dangerous remnants of war such as land mines, unexploded ammunition and cluster bombs.

The centerpiece of this effort is a film created by Grey, Great Guns and Cutters together with a number of other partners.

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This campaign tackles a topic often described as one of the most evil problems affecting millions of civilians in over 60 countries around the world. And while it will take a mammoth effort by DCA and other organizations to eradicate, the topic does not feature a lot in the public conversation or the media – other imminent issues get all the coverage.

To change this, the integrated campaign #ClearThePitch builds an emotional link to one of the world’s biggest sports: soccer. It’s a universal sport and is played on streets, fields, playgrounds, parking lots and many more places. But due to remnants of war such as land mines, cluster bombs and unexploded ammunition, in large parts of the world playing soccer on fields can be extremely dangerous. Especially for children.

The film puts this into dramatic perspective. Starting out as what could well be a brand film by one of the big soccer suppliers, it features balls from around the world. With an iconic song as soundtrack: the football hymn “You’ll never walk alone” – sung by supporters in stadiums around the world to back their team – was reinterpreted in a highly emotive acoustic version. Just as the inclined fan is wondering which product this is all about, the film takes an unexpected and disturbing turn: revealing a child with a missing limb, asking the audience whether they saw the bomb amongst the balls. He then points out the cluster-bomblet which actually looks much like a ball – making clear just how nasty the problem is.

The core messaging is simple: Help DCA clear the pitch and create safer communities. The call to action: #ClearThePitch. On the website clearthepitch.org additional information is given and the direct link to donations is opened.

“The theme of football is everything but random. It allows us to reach and involve a huge group of people: not just millions of fans but also the clubs, players, associations and potentially even the sponsors. With a surprising but actually hard-hitting link: for millions of children playing the sport we all love is extremely dangerous. Our hope is to capture the imagination of the world of football to give the topic and our partner DCA both the visibility and the financial support that are so urgently needed,” said Till Hohmann, Executive Creative Director & Vice President (GSK), Grey Group Singapore.

Richard MacCormac, DCA Head of Mine Action, “Together with Grey for Good, we look forward to driving an impact on this issue. The goal is not only creating safe ‘football pitches’ for children, but to also provide safe and secure living conditions for families and communities so they can live a ‘normal’ life.”

“It is sad to know this is still happening in our advanced world. When do you have a chance to be part of something? Something where you can help to make a change? For a great cause? It was a no brainer when Grey Group Singapore approached us. We are very proud of the help we were able to provide. Now we wish hard that everyone receives the message and that all together we can make a change,” said Timo Mitsuaki Otsuki of Cutters Tokyo.

Credits –

Agency: Grey Group Singapore (through Grey for Good)

Agency Team: Till Hohmann (ECD), Antonio Bonifacio (CD), Konstantin Popovic (MD), James Dickinson (CW), Luis Fabra (AD), Brendan Cravitz (Sr. EP), Lauren Rilley (Producer), Rasyiqah Rahman (AM), Suresh Ramaswamy (Digital lead), Karishma Menon (Digital), Huma Qureshi (PR lead), Yanrong Pang (PR)

Film Production Company: Great Guns

Executive Producer: Laura Gregory

Producer: Mathew Alden

Line Producer: Ann Suthida Sihasavetra

Director: James Teh

DOP: Sinthop Sophon (Jeab)

Production Design Nattachai Kitjanawanchai (Nut Art)

Editing and Post-Production: Cutters

Executive Producer: Timo Otsuki

Producer: Shumpei Negami

Editing Supervisor: Ryan Mcguire

Colorist: Ben Conkey

Colorist Assistant: Toshiki Kamei

Online/Finish: Dr. Yu

Online Assistant: Tomomi Ogawa

Music and Sound Design:  Yessian Music, New York

Composer/Arranger:  Michael Dragovic

Sound Designer/Mixer:  Jeff Dittenber

CCO:  Brian Yessian

Song: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)

NGO and brand: DCA Mine Action

Client team: Richard MacCormac, Nikolaj Søndergaard, Christian Sophus Ehlers, Anne Kristine Erhardsen, Camilla Tollstorff Ardilsø, Mulle Juul Korsholm, Anne Mousten, Tobias Juhler Maureschat