“Missing” aims to raise awareness and money to help the women’s team achieve their goal of competing in the first Amputee World Championship in Colombia in November. The idea and campaign was developed and implemented by creative agency Kitchen.

The cross-channel campaign will launch on 16 August on TV, cinema, outdoor advertising and in the press and will highlight the Amputee Lionesses’ need for financial support as they receive no financial support from any organisation and must therefore raise the £50,000 they need through donations themselves.

Written and produced by Kitchen in collaboration with filmmaker Deane Thrussell, the concept introduces us to the England women’s national amputee football team through the stories of two key players: Annabel Kiki and Shelbee Clarke.

Focusing on the concept of “missing out,” you might think they’re talking about their limb differences. However, the film takes a twist when it reveals that they’re actually talking about the missed opportunity to compete in and win the World Amputee Championships in Colombia.

The campaign was created entirely pro bono with PR from Nick Ede at East of Eden and media from JAA. Advertised with editorial and promotional coverage in several publications including the Daily Mail, The Times and The Sunday Express on 18 August. The team has already appeared on ITV’s This Morning and will be featured on Sky News and Channel 4 during the Paralympics, both supported by commercials.

In addition to ITV, Sky and Channel 4, media was generously donated by owners such as Mass Media, Limited Space, Open Media and DCM, while Pixability assisted with search engine optimization.

The team wants to mobilise football fans across the country to do their part to help the team come to Colombia and bring the title to England.

Donations are collected here via the team’s website.

Annabel Kiki, England Amputee Lionesses centre-forward, said: “To have such a wonderful team of filmmakers, advertisers and PR gurus behind this campaign, working completely pro bono, shows how much faith is already placed in us. The time and effort that has gone into getting us to this point is phenomenal and gives me hope that the general public can jump on the bandwagon and be part of the magic. Since losing my leg, I have realised that nothing feels better than doing things that people say you can’t do… women, one leg, World Cup, we’re going to show them!”

Ed Chilcott, creative partner at Kitchen Soho, said: “These are elite athletes who just want to play football and make their country proud. But unlike other national teams, they don’t receive any financial support and have to raise the money themselves. We want them to have the opportunity to play in the World Cup and get the recognition they deserve. This is the start of a longer-term goal to inspire young children with limb differences and show them that they don’t have to be defined by their disability.”

“The response from our friends and media partners in the industry has been, quite honestly, extraordinary and I can hardly express my gratitude. This is our industry at its best.”