Permanent Collection

Messy & Manic: DEADHORSES & 4creative Conjure “Pure Football” for Channel 4

Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2026

Magna directing duo Ivo Beckett and James Topley (aka DEADHORSES) tear into the rough and ready nature of women’s football in this noisy yet surgically assembled promo for Channel 4’s coverage of The Adobe Women’s FA Cup.

Miketta Lane, director of agency 4Creative: “Authenticity was the starting point of this idea and carried through the entire process. We wanted to show women’s football for what it really is: players, passion, goals, and fans.

“The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is football in its purest state. We didn’t want to polish that. We wanted to bottle it because this is the version football fans crave.”

“To reflect the many ways women’s football is seen, shared, and experienced, the directors shot on a mix of cameras including vintage broadcast film cameras, hand-cranked Bolex cameras, disposables, iPhones, and Meta glasses that allowed them to capture moments from the pitch itself.”

David Wigglesworth, ECD at 4Creative: “The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is football in its purest state. We didn’t want to polish that. We wanted to bottle it because this is the version football fans crave. The noise, the grit, the feeling that anything could happen. ‘Pure Football’ is our attempt to capture that.”

Images

A glowing translucent figure in a bright jacket and lanyard wears a neon yellow cap decorated with miniature items, standing in an urban setting with a brick wall and metal structure—Channel 4’s 4creative energy shines through.

A stylized image of a wolf with its mouth open, shooting flames and a soccer ball forward—Pure Football energy. The soccer ball is encircled by fiery text, set against a striking black and white background.

A detailed, red anatomical illustration of a human heart is centered on a light background. Faint, mirrored text reading PURRZKOOTBALL—echoing the spirit of Pure Football—appears along the left and right edges of the image.

A colorful display featuring a cap with the Liverpool FC logo and a blanket printed with smiling faces of people. Bold, distorted text reading PURE CHA overlays the image, channeling Pure Football vibes with splashes of pink and purple around the edges.

Bright green text reading pure football appears over an action shot of a soccer game—Channel 4’s FA Women’s Cup—with water droplets in the air and blurred players and a goalpost in the background.

Credits

Client: Channel 4
Chief Marketing Officer: Katie Jackson
Director of Brand & Content Marketing: Lisa Nash
Interim Director, Brand & Content Marketing: Laura Ward-Smith
Head of Marketing: Nic Moran
Marketing Lead: Laura Woodcock, Liv Snellgrove
Marketing Manager: Gabi Schuman
Senior Marketing Executive: Taf Muchenje

Agency: 4creative
Director of 4Creative: Miketta Lane
ECD: David Wigglesworth
Deputy ECD: Lex Down
Senior Creative: Stuart Gittings, Reuben Dangoor
Creative Apprentice: Laura Whitworth, Amelia Rudzinski
Creative Placement team: Tilly Glancy, Giorgia La Vecchia
Head of Production: Charlie Bettice
Head of Creative Operations: Olivia Jones
Head of Design: Rob Boon
Senior Designer: Sarah Jones
Promo Director: Alecia Kelter
Executive Producer: Jason Delahunty
Senior Producer: Paul Gleeson
Project Manager: Claire Walters
PA: Cera O’Rourke

Production: Magna Studios
Director: Ivo Beckett, James Topley (DEADHORSES)
EP: Joel Spencer
Head of Production: Alistair Payne-James
Producer: Bradley Smith
1st Assistant Director: Ali Copland
DOP: Jed Darlington-Roberts
Special Effects: Jack Kirby
Props: Sean Kelly
Editor & VFX: Ivo Beckett

Color: Selected Works

Audio Post: String & Tins
Supervising Sound Designer: Jim Stewart
Audio Producer: Esi Jonuzi