42% of boys aged 11-16 come across content telling them “men shouldn’t show emotions” or “boys need to toughen up” at least a few times a week (according to EE research).

So as lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations and a leader in digital safety, EE has used attention-magnet, the World Cup, to launch Yes Boys, highlighting the power of football communities against harmful online influences, equipping parents, coaches and young people with the skills to navigate the pressures of growing up online.

In the same research, 65% of parents said the sport has had a positive impact on their son’s confidence and identity, and 71% that a coach has equal or greater influence over their son’s sense of masculinity than the content he sees online.

Yes Boys is more than an awareness campaign. Its heart is real action. With the research showing 85% saying they’d use a free resource that gave them real scripts and advice, EE has partnered with online safety experts, Internet Matters, to create a free online learning hub, The Mentor-Badge, made with support of the Home Nations’ Football Associations. The Mentor-Badge is an online resource that features video, written content and practical guidance for coaches to support boys growing up online, helping them to engage with positive, grounded models of masculinity, and directly tackle the negative, damaging impact of the manosphere. Mentor-Badge will be hosted on EE’s website and promoted by the Home Nations to maximise spread and impact, continuing an important, cultural campaign, and doing more for young people in the UK. 

The above the line creative by Saatchi & Saatchi leads with a 60-second film set to Underworld’s ‘90s classic, Born Slippy. Placing the toxic effects of the manosphere front and centre, EE’s film contrasts the pull of harmful online influences with the positive role football communities can play on and off the pitch alongside a unifying rallying cry of “Yes Boys”.

The film is supported by an OOH campaign born out of football culture – tifos. Made for the fans, by the fans, and created using real supporter imagery to stay true to the traditions of football culture. The tifos have been designed in partnership with sports illustrator, Daryl Rainbow, best known for his colourful, insightful work centred on football and youth culture for adidas and Arsenal. The bright, energetic illustrations feature both fans and players, and are displayed across reactive, OOH billboards and social media, alongside the tifos, bringing authenticity to digital and traditional placements. 

Digitas extended the campaign with messages From The Boys letting young ambassadors tell their stories through always‑on channels designed to engage parents and football communities and providing practical guidance directly to young men, while helping coaches and parents actively counter harmful online influences. By connecting through WhatsApp, EE and Digitas are pioneering the platform in a way that feels trusted and human. Instead of simply telling people football is good for teens, it helps them experience the community, keeping young fans and their parents involved. 

Alongside this, EE is extending the campaign through partnerships and community platforms, led by WPP Sports & Ents, that bring this thinking to life in different ways – including working with organisations like Versus to spark intergenerational conversations around masculinity, and developing community-first spaces such as the LADbible Portal to engage fans and connect them directly to the tournament.

Finally, EE’s in-house agency, The Exchange, is creating an array of dynamic, social‑first content designed to connect with fans and families in the moments that matter most, blending high‑energy matchday content with more intimate conversations around pressure, confidence and support.

Pitch Marketing Group is leading the earned PR strategy for the campaign, partnering with Professor Ben Hine and commissioning original consumer research to surface the pressures and issues facing boys in 2026. And Havas Play has consulted across all aspects of the Yes Boys campaign, providing strategic guidance, facilitating partnership rights and optimising the campaign for a football audience, including all player and Legend talent inclusions. 

Ben Mooge, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe UK, stated, “EE is committed to supporting the generation growing up in an online world, and this work is all about imbuing their sponsorship with meaning that really resonates. Football is so much bigger than the game itself, it lives and breathes in culture and communities. It has the unique power to nurture and unite young people on and off the pitch, and that’s what we wanted to celebrate – and what better stage to do that on that football’s biggest and brightest.”

Rebecca Marshall, client president, open connect at WPP Media, added, “EE has created a campaign that genuinely earns its place in culture during the tournament, celebrating the energy of the game in real time through reactive OOH and social, while also building a platform for positive community. By combining scale with partnerships like Versus, which spark intergenerational conversations and empower young boys, and community-first ideas such as the LADbible Portal, it connects real-time celebration with credible, accessible support for boys, parents and coaches.” 

The full campaign will run throughout the tournament across AV, OOH, DOOH, audio, social, online video, VOD, cinema, partnerships, customer activation and retail. Online resources including the Mentor-Badge will continue beyond the tournament.