Why the Football Not?: Paddy Power celebrates the irrational joy of football fandom

Paddy Power is asking football fans to stop explaining their obsession and embrace its ridiculousness instead.

Created by BBH London, “Why the Football Not?” is a new football-focused brand platform built around the strange behaviours, emotional contradictions and shared jokes that make British football culture distinctive.

The hero film stars actor and Paddy Power ambassador Danny Dyer alongside former England striker Peter Crouch. It arrives after the 2026 World Cup and ahead of the new English football season, answering one simple question: after all the disappointment, frustration and emotional exhaustion, why do supporters keep coming back?

The answer is equally simple: “Why the football not?”

Danny Dyer is asked why he cares

The film begins with Dyer watching football in a pub. A sceptical bystander asks him why he even cares about the game.

It is a reasonable question. Football supporters spend large parts of every season complaining about referees, transfers, tactics, ticket prices and their own teams. They regularly announce that they have had enough, only to return for the next match.

Dyer begins considering how he might explain this devotion. The question sends the film into a rapid tour of football fandom at its most passionate and irrational.

Instead of providing a serious answer, the campaign argues that football does not need to make sense. Its unpredictability and absurdity are precisely what keep people invested.

The film turns fan behaviour into comedy

The journey moves through a collection of exaggerated but recognisable football rituals.

A Brighton supporter attends a match dressed as a seagull. A potential romance is placed in immediate danger when someone discovers a bedroom completely decorated in Newcastle United colours.

Elsewhere, a proud father introduces his baby daughter, Jurgen, apparently named after former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy appears and suggests that the parents could have called the child Bob, referring to his cat becoming an unexpected talking point during the World Cup.

Another supporter copies Erling Haaland’s distinctive hairstyle, while a fan gets a tattoo reading “After review,” turning the language of VAR decisions into a permanent personal statement.

Each moment asks the same unspoken question: why would anyone go this far for football? The campaign’s answer is that going too far is part of the experience.

Peter Crouch joins a Spygate joke

Peter Crouch appears during one of the film’s most recognisable football references.

He discovers a suspicious man hiding near a training session and recording it on his phone. Crouch asks why he is filming another team before the supposed spy makes his escape.

The scene refers to the “Spygate” controversy involving the observation of an opponent’s training session. Like the other jokes, it rewards viewers who understand football history while remaining visually amusing for those who do not recognise the exact reference.

The cameo also supports the campaign’s broader strategy. Rather than simply placing famous football personalities in front of the camera, it uses them as participants in the culture being celebrated.

A new platform built for an entire season

“Why the Football Not?” is more than the closing line of one television commercial. Paddy Power has introduced it as a platform that can respond to the unpredictable stories generated throughout a football season.

The phrase gives the brand a flexible answer to almost any unusual decision, emotional reaction or unexpected event. It can be applied to fan behaviour, match results, social conversations and topical sporting moments.

That flexibility is particularly useful for Paddy Power, whose identity is built around reacting quickly to football news with satire and provocation.

The campaign launched on 19 August 2026 across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is expected to run for at least nine months, covering the 2026/27 football season.

Football knowledge drives the humour

The film is packed with memes, Easter eggs and references aimed at supporters who follow the game beyond the final score.

This approach treats football fandom as its own language. Hairstyles, bedroom decorations, controversial incidents and animals connected to pundits can all carry meaning for the right audience.

The campaign does not attempt to explain every joke. Viewers are invited to recognise what they can, while the fast editing and exaggerated performances keep the film moving.

That sense of insider knowledge helps Paddy Power position itself as part of football culture rather than a brand commenting on it from the outside.

The production matches the energy of matchday

The film was shot at Brentford FC’s stadium and directed by Max Barden through Anonymous Content. Barden had previously directed Paddy Power’s World Cup film featuring Dyer and Rob Lowe.

The new commercial uses quick scene changes, crowded environments and escalating visual jokes to reproduce the chaotic energy surrounding football. The pub provides a familiar starting point, while the montage expands the story into stadiums, homes and other spaces occupied by supporters.

Dyer’s direct delivery keeps the different scenes connected. Crouch, Murphy and the supporting cast then add recognisable pieces of football culture without turning the film into a conventional celebrity endorsement.

No audience figures, engagement data or commercial results have been announced for the platform so far.

Credits

Campaign: Why the Football Not? Client: Paddy Power. MD, Online: Michelle Spillane. Marketing Director: Leah Spears. Head of Sportsbook Marketing: Paul Mallon. Senior Marketing Manager: Dan Oates. Senior Brand Manager: Ashley Vann. Brand Manager: Hannah Scott. Head of Sports and Gaming Creative: Marcus Richardson. Agency: BBH London. Chief Creative Officer, London and Dublin: Felipe Serradourada Guimarães. Creative Directors: Philip Holbrook and Stuart Royall. Creatives: Jack Gravatt and Till Dittmers. Motion Designer: Nawaraj Gurung. Strategy: Saskia Jones and Darius Pasalar. Agency Producers: Nicole Southey, Kutcha Bouzin and Sally Kursa. Media Agency: EssenceMediacom. Production Company: Anonymous Content. Director: Max Barden. Producer: George Saunders. Executive Producers: Sophie Hubble and Shion Hayasaka. Editor: David Whittaker at TenThree. Post-production: Selected Works. Post-production Producer: Solomon Tiigah. 2D Lead Artist: Matthew McDougal. Colourist: Hannibal Lang. Sound: Sine Audio. Sound Engineer: Phil Bolland. Music Supervisor: Hywel Evans. Music Company: Black Sheep Music. Featured Talent: Danny Dyer, Peter Crouch and Danny Murphy.