“We lose if women can’t play rugby.”
With the 2019 men’s Rugby World Cup filing up headlines this summer, it’s quite likely that people might miss a strong tale of a team who defied the odds. And that would be a shame – although being one rough sport, rugby isn’t reserved for just men. It isn’t played just in Europe or Australasia.
As thousands of fans visit Japan this summer to partake in the sport’s biggest event, Guinness and “UK’s most creative agency”, AMV BBDO, are gearing up for the event with an inspirational story of a Japanese women’s rugby team who stood together, even in the face of societal pressure, and pursued their passion for the manly game.
The Welsh’s beer brand introduces a documentary that tells the remarkable story how, in a society that shunned female athletes, #LibertyFields RFC proved that you only need determination and togetherness to compete against much stronger, experiences, and supported opposition. Raise your Guinness glass to the team that fought the odds and won.
The commercial–which features a grade by Framestore’s Simon Bourne and a powerful soundtrack by Radford Music–was directed and shot on 16mm by Mackenzie Sheppard and is a recollection of the many struggles of Japan’s first female rugby squad, Liberty Fields. Without any coaching and medical staff, and virtually no support, these women become the first team to represent their country at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. We can easily say that these endeavours of the women from Liberty Fields count as one of many small steps towards gender equality in the sport.
Former Irish International Rugby Player, Lynne Cantwell, also commented on the role of Liberty Fields team: “Women’s sport has made significant strides in recent years. It has become much more visible yet plenty of barriers remain not just in terms of getting women involved and staying involved, but also perception. The story of “Liberty Fields” rings true to this day and shines a welcome spotlight not just on the obstacles to be overcome but the many benefits society stands to gain from overcoming them and creating a more inclusive and diverse culture in sport and beyond.”
Let’s start with a bit of history. In 1989, in Tokyo, a group of young women formed an ultimately indomitable rugby team. Training at Liberty Fields, the team defied the social conventions of 1989 Japan. During that time, and in that particular place, women’s rugby was certainly unheard of and, during their humble beginnings, the team faced ridicule and hostility from all sides. Despite all the ill will, they soon became one of the country’s strongest sides and a large part of the team was selected to represent their country at the Women’s World Cup.
Ms Kishida, of the Liberty Fields team, sums up the pioneering spirit, saying: “It was back in the day, when getting harassed, sexually and otherwise, was a given. Men expected women to be young, pretty and willing to quit their jobs for marriage. At the time, the women’s team weren’t recognised as official. So, we founded our own organisation.”
Liberty Fields RFC managed to reach this level despite having no coach, no doctor and very little support. Instead, they relied on the most important part of any sport – a team. Balancing training with jobs and families, they set a new level for women’s sport in Japan, showing what you can achieve with grit, determination, and an unbreakable spirit.
“We lose if women can’t play rugby. The reason why we’ve kept on going is because we don’t want to lose. I wanted society to accept that women can love this kind of sport too, not just men,” concludes Ms Kishida.
The Guinness Made of More series champions real people around the globe who “act with extraordinary integrity and character to enrich the world around them” and after watching the almost-5-minute-long video, we can say that ‘Liberty Fields’ captures those traits perfectly.
Previous films from the Made of More campaign that has been going on for over 8 years have included ‘Sisters’, which tells the story of two sisters who rose through rugby to eventually play for opposing England and Scotland national teams, and ‘Never Alone’, which recollects the poignant story of Gareth Thomas, who through the strength he received from his team had the courage to become the first openly gay professional rugby union player.
The Guinness team is making sure to support diversity within rugby by becoming a Proud Partner of the Women’s Six Nations in 2019 in a six-year partnership, as well as painting the historic St James Gate at the Guinness Storehouse to support its partnership with Union Cup, Europe’s biggest LGBT+ and inclusive rugby tournament that took place in Ireland for this first time this year.
Former Irish International Rugby Player, Jamie Heaslip, concludes that: “Liberty Fields highlights the importance of camaraderie well beyond the field of play and the role it has in enriching the lives of those involved. This is an opportunity that should be available to all regardless of gender. There does remain a significant contrast between men’s and women’s rugby in terms of attendance and investment but not in terms of the player’s commitment. We can only begin to change the former by highlighting the latter and through telling stories such as that of Liberty Fields.”
Credits:
Guinness – Liberty Fields | The Pioneers of Women’s Rugby
Directed and 16mm shot by Mackenzie Sheppard
Edited by: Aika Miyake
Music by: AudioForce
Advertising Agency: AMV BBDO, UK
Copywriter: Alex Grieve
Art Director: Adrian Rossi
Planner: David Edwards, Lisa Stoney, Alaina Crystal
Producer: Nick Godden, Frankie Burwell-Wright
Creative Director: Nick Hulley, Nadja Lossgott
Account Team: Michael Pring, Nick Andrew, Tessa Brisbane, Luke Hickey, Sam Ayre, Flynn Leslie
Social Creative: Zak Loney
Business Affairs: Maxine Thompson
Media Agency: Carat
Production Company: Stink Films, Mr+Positive Tokyo
Director: Eliot Rausch, Mackenzie Sheppard (Documentary)
Producer: Ben Croker
Editor: Russell Icke, Aika Miyake (Documentary)
Post Production Company: Untold
Music Company: Radford Music
Music Supervision: James Radford
Sound Engineer: Sam Ashwell
Audio Post: 750