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British Army recruits new talent amid football fever: "Defend, tackle, attack"
🇫🇮 Finland /Sports

British Army recruits new talent amid football fever: "Defend, tackle, attack"

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • The British Army is using the current football hype to boost recruitment, employing slogans like "Defend, tackle, attack."
  • The army aims to recruit 14,000 new personnel annually but faces a deficit of around 3,000, struggling to attract young people with changing career expectations post-pandemic.
  • Recruitment efforts include advertising on the London Underground and offering competitive salaries, though significantly lower than professional footballers'.

As England's national football team competes in Miami, the British Army is capitalizing on the nation's "football fever" with a creative recruitment campaign. Advertisements, visible on the London Underground, feature a hybrid soldier-footballer figure and use slogans like "Defend, tackle, attack – you speak the same language as us."

Defend, tackle, attack – you speak the same language as us.

— British Army advertisementA slogan used in the British Army's recruitment campaign, linking military actions to football terminology.

The campaign aims to bridge the gap between military and football terminology, posing questions like "Can you handle the pressure?" and "Are you a team player?" It highlights that "critical moments require brave players" and encourages potential recruits to "step up and lead." The army's recruitment website also features similar messaging, emphasizing the need for "brave players" to "change the game."

Can you handle the pressure?

— British Army advertisementA question posed in the recruitment campaign, designed to resonate with both potential soldiers and athletes.

The British Army faces a significant recruitment challenge, needing to enlist approximately 14,000 new personnel each year to maintain its strength but currently experiencing a shortfall of about 3,000. General-major Joe Fossey, responsible for army recruitment, noted on the army's recruitment site that "career expectations for those entering the workforce after the pandemic are different." Military service requires a five-year commitment.

Are you a team player?

— British Army advertisementAnother question in the campaign, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in both military and sports contexts.

To attract candidates, the army is offering competitive salaries. New recruits start at £27,282 (approximately €31,900) annually, with officer cadets earning £35,925 (€42,000) and a starting salary of £42,948 (€50,200) after graduation. This year, service members received a 3.6% pay rise, bringing the average salary to over €53,400. However, these figures pale in comparison to professional footballers, whose average weekly wage in the English Premier League is around £80,000, or over £4 million annually.

Critical moments require brave players. Step up and lead, and change the game just when you need to do so.

— British Army advertisementA motivational statement from the recruitment campaign, drawing parallels between decisive moments in football and military service.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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