Eni Aluko And Roberto Carlos Make Their Sunday League Debut In New Documentary-Style Film From eBay’s Dream Transfer

This year, eBay UK hijacked the biggest cultural commerce event of the year; football’s January Transfer Window. Sunday League teams across the country were given the chance to sign football legends Roberto Carlos and Eni Aluko for a once-in-a-life-time match with eBay’s DREAM TRANSFER, all designed to showcase eBay’s community ethos of being the ‘people’s marketplace’.

The campaign was led by creative agency McCann London alongside Communications agency Weber Shandwick and media agency MediaCom, working with media partners including Sky Sports and Joe Media and youth charity Football Beyond Borders. The fame driving campaign led to over 770 editorial features, including 20 TV placements and 64 pieces of coverage across UK national publications. The campaign also reached 72 million impressions through paid social and brand sentiment on eBay’s channels rose 50%.

The campaign took the January Transfer Window, a typically exclusive, cultural moment reserved for football’s elite – and opened it up to anyone and everyone, through one-game Sunday League contracts, openly listed on eBay for just a fiver, with all proceeds going to Football Beyond Borders.

As Sunday League took over the Transfer Window, two teams emerged victorious, with Aluko signing to Pevensey & Westham Ladies in Eastbourne and Carlos signing to Bull in the Barne United – a pub team in Shrewsbury. The lucky teams became the talk of the town (and beyond) when they welcomed the legends to their grounds.

Eni Aluko plays for Pevensey & Westham FC for eBay’s Dream Transfer at Langley Sports Club in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK.
Picture by Ben Stevens Saturday 19th February 2022

All the muddy drama of the games was brought together in a documentary-style film directed by Glenn Kitson. From the action on the pitch to the joy these legends brought to the locals, Glenn’s film beautifully captures the positive energy and community that surrounded each game. Both Carlos and Eni proved their legendary status on and off the pitch, undeterred by the brutal British weather. Ever wondered what a World Cup winner looks like on a waterlogged, sloped, bumpy pitch in the heart of Shropshire? Well, wonder no more…

Jack Stoten and Connor Wynn, Creatives at McCann London, said: “It was a real privilege to shine a light on the brilliance of Sunday League and the great community spirit that surrounds it. Bringing eBay’s democratic ethos to a moment as iconic as the Transfer Window and watching it unfold on the pitch was incredible – and truly showed the power of the people that prop up the beautiful game’s wet, muddy and slightly lopsided grassy roots.”

EDITORIAL USE ONLY Former professional footballer, Roberto Carlos comes out of retirement to play a charity match for Sunday league team, Bull in the Barne United after they won the eBay Dream Transfer raffle in aid of youth charity, Football Beyond Borders, Shrewsbury. Picture date: Friday March 4, 2022. PA Photo. The raffle, which cost teams £5 to enter, has also sent Eni Aluko to Pevensey and Westham FC. In addition, eBay has enlisted pundit, Chris Kamara to provide pitchside commentary on the matches. Picture credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire.

Eve Williams, Chief Marketing Officer at eBay UK, said: “The Dream Transfer has been a tribute to one of the UK’s biggest collective passions – football – and the fantastic work of our charity partner Football Beyond Borders to help young people reach their full potential through sport. Bringing communities together around a shared passion is what eBay’s marketplace is all about, and it’s been brilliant to bring this to life for the players and fans of Pevensey & Westham and Bull in the Barne FC.”

Jessica Dyas, Director at Weber Shandwick, said: “We are so proud to have helped democratise one of the most exclusive moments of the year for football fans across the country, engaging local communities and Sunday league teams along the way. The wealth of chatter and coverage across hundreds of outlets and channels demonstrates just how much joy and buzz the campaign generated – and when the whistle blew, there wasn’t a friend’s mum or local cab driver who didn’t know about it.”

Credits

Project Name: Dream Transfer

Client Name: eBay

eBay UK:

Chief Marketing Officer: Eve Williams

Head of Brand Marketing: Alex Allcott

Head of Social, Influencer & Content: Faisal Alani

Head of PR & Integrated Campaigns: Menreet Kaur

Head of Marketing Operations & Onsite Creative Strategy: Ed Maule & Kirsten Freeman

Social Media & Content Manager: Jack Francis

PR Manager: Annie Shields

Onsite Senior Account Manager: Isabell Proschak

Marketing Executive: Eva Lamerton

eBay for Charity Lead: Melissa Selwood

Social Impact Programme Coordinator: Millie Buttery

McCann London

Chief Creative Officers: Laurence Thomson & Rob Doubal

Chief Strategy Officer: Theo Izzard-Brown

Executive Creative Directors: Ray Shaughnessy & Dan Norris

Creative Directors: Matt Searle & Olly Wood

Creative Team: Connor Wynn & Jack Stoten

Global Business Lead: Sailesh Jani

Business Director: Tom Oliver

Account Director: Conor Lloyd

Senior Account Manager: Katie Dumbrell

Account Associate: Sasha Semple

Strategy Director: Jonathan Bender

Project Manager: Neil Tingey

Head of Design: Lisa Carrana

Design Director: Andy McGuigan

Craft

Head of Integrated Production: Sophie Chapman-Andrews

Executive Producer: Alec Christie

Senior Producer and produced by: Claire Welberry

Post producer: Shawn Sobers

AFX/Editor: Chris Jordan

3D Artist: Marc Khachfe

Post-Production by Craft

Implementation Director: Sandra Perrier-Faucher

Implementation Manager: Barbara Puddu

Account Director: Joe Michaelides

Senior Print Producer: Liam White

Photography Executive: Aisling Duffy

Senior Photography Executive: Nikki Bryan

Retoucher: Joseph Lewis & Gary Hardwick

Artworkers: Rick Preskey & Stuart Lowndes

MediaCom (Media)

Head of Media Creativity: Lindsey Jordan

Business Director: Jon Hendry

Media Account Director – Stephanie Smith

Director for Sports & Entertainment – Alex Brown

Production Account Director: Marco El Gabry

Producer: Freddie Brown

Weber Shandwick (PR)

Director: Jessica Dyas

Account Director: Francesca Raquet

Senior Manager: Jess Brand

Manager: Molly Minter

Associate: Jack Johnston

Junior Associate: Ella Major

Seen Connects (Talent)

Business Director: Joe Mowles

Senior Account Director: Emma Wills

Senior Account Manager: Hannah Tompkins

That Lot (Social)

Account Director: Rosie Shipp

Social Media Strategist: Mark Shpungin

Account Manager: Arthur Hepburn

Creative: Joe Smart

Production Company Launch & Announcement

Production Company: At Trayler

Photographer/Director: Amit & Naroop

Exec Producer & produced by: Kay Edwards

Producer Milan: Krisitan Arija

Producer Paris: Charlotte Cohen

Production Assistant: Bonnie Ophelia

DOP: Jacob Schule Lewis

Production Company Match Days

Production Company: Helo

Director: Glenn Kitson

Executive Producer: Phoebe Smith

Producer: Alex Jefferson

Production Manager: Sorcha Bacon

Production Assistants: : Brooklyn Adebowale / Joss George Gilbert

1st AD: Clara Paris

DOP: Ed Hubert

Sound: Olly Jennings

Editor: James Heaphy

Editor main films: Pete Fullarton

Composition and audio: Killer Crab Men

Grade and online: Number 8

Onsite agency: Feed

Media partners: Sky and JOE