How the NWSL grows the Women’s game in soccer

Everybody knows the famous movie Shrek, right? Our speaker earned herself a credit in that movie. If this isn’t impressive enough, she also invented the iconic tic on Twitter and was named one of the Top 50 CMOs by Campaign. After working at the NFL, Julie Haddon became Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer at the National Women’s Soccer League. These are her best GMPLN quotes.

Julie Haddon asked herself this question in 2019. At the time, she was working in the NFL and had been invited to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. What she saw took her by surprise: only ten thousand seats were filled, large parts of the stadium stood empty and there was no merchandising in sight. How could this be the case on the biggest stage in women’s soccer?

Haddon, who loves writing thoughts into her notebooks, shared at GMPLN the line she wrote down after that trip: "I really feel I need to make the world a better place for women — through sport." Just a few years later, she became CMO of the NWSL.

2022 was a difficult year for the NWSL. The league’s brand value was at a low point and Julie Haddon admitted on stage that the situation “really bothered me.” But what led to this status quo? Beyond the fact that the league still lacked fully professional standards, two major investigations into past abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer cast a long shadow. The impact on the league’s reputation was significant.

For Haddon, it was clear: the investigations needed to be addressed, and the narrative around the league had to change. The NWSL wanted to evolve from scrappy to professional, from powerless to powerful, and from surviving to thrilling.

To shift the narrative around the league, the NWSL conducted extensive research, asking players, fans, and owners for their perspectives. The feedback highlighted what makes the league special: the talent of the players, the quality of competition and the level of entertainment. At the heart of it all is one central theme: greatness. Greatness drives fans to fill stadiums, share highlights on social media, buy merchandise and build a lasting connection with the sport. That’s why the NWSL chose to celebrate this greatness and, in doing so, raised the world's game.

When it comes to campaigns, Haddon emphasizes the importance of thinking outside the box. Their first major campaign, "We Play Here", highlighted that some of the world’s best players compete in the NWSL and that every American should know about it. After the U.S. national team won Olympic gold, the tagline was even adapted to "Gold Plays Here". Despite its modest budget, the campaign set the tone and established a strong vibe for the league.

Another innovative move was the LCC (Live Content Correspondent) experiment. On one matchday, every person on the field was given a smartphone and encouraged to share behind-the-scenes content. The result? Over 500 pieces of content, twice as much as on a typical gameday, making it a massive success.

The NWSL also made headlines with a match at Chicago’s legendary Wrigley Field, where a new attendance record was set. With the championship trophy designed by Tiffany, the league also took its first steps into the world of fashion, building fresh cultural relevance.

And this is only the beginning: new campaigns are already in the pipeline, this time with a stronger focus on the players themselves, positioning them as heroes. It’s a preview of exciting things still to come.