JACK CHAPMAN

The Missing Managers was a campaign created with Xbox, Football Manager and McCann London to support more women into coaching. The initiative gave aspiring female coaches the opportunity to earn their UEFA qualifications, with applicants completing a challenge in Football Manager as part of the selection process.

The project resonated with me immediately. Football Manager was a huge part of my childhood. I grew up supporting Sunderland and after home games I'd spend the four-hour drive back thinking about the transfers I'd make when I got home. Like many people, the game became more than football. It was a place to experiment, learn and imagine.

What I liked about this campaign was that it took something usually associated with entertainment and connected it to a real-world outcome. It wasn't about creating better Football Manager players. It was about creating opportunities for women who wanted to coach and helping them take the next step into the game.

The production itself was fast. We had two days to shoot multiple stories with a small crew, moving quickly between locations and contributors. Agencies and brands understandably want coverage, and we delivered that, but I was equally interested in finding moments that felt personal. Even within a run-and-gun schedule, I wanted to shape the light where possible and build enough trust with the coaches that the cameras became secondary.

One of the simplest decisions became one of my favourites. I handed my old Handycam to the coaches and encouraged them to film whatever they wanted. It shifted the dynamic immediately. They stopped being subjects and became participants. The footage that came back was spontaneous, playful and honest. Moments that would never have existed if we'd tried to direct them.

The result is a campaign that sits at the intersection of football culture and opportunity. A project that recognises the value of coaching pathways, while celebrating the people determined to carve their own route into the game.