Jane Stockdale makes her directorial debut with an ad featuring The Orange Lionesses

Happy Women’s World Cup day everyone! Before you barrel into the pub for France versus South Korea (which kicks off at 8 pm UK time) we’ve got a treat for all the football-loving photography buffs out there.

The one and only Jane Stockdale has made her moving image debut, and the result is a cracking advert for Dutch banking giants ING which features the country’s hotly-tipped women’s team.

No stranger to the Dutch team Jane tells It’s Nice That that: “The film was shot as a documentary over four days in Zeist and captures the fact that the team are really good pals, hard-working but also such a laugh. A really solid team with amazing energy and good vibes.” She goes on to tell us that when it came to shooting the advert, a “small and nimble” team was necessary to capture genuine moments of camaraderie and team spirit without distracting the players or coaching staff.

“In the end, it was a small crew including me, the DOP Tim and his assistant Justus, our producer Floor, gaffer Gregor, digi-tech Noah and mate Sabrina. We really had to work around the team and their schedule to document what it feels like to get ready for the World Cup.”

Jane credits the teams at JWT and ING for allowing her the creative freedom to take a documentary approach to proceedings. “The [Dutch] team are powerful, fast and fearless, with a good energy and vibe so we wanted to capture that, for real, from the heart of the action.”

Now, obviously, It’s Nice That doesn’t condone gambling but we couldn’t help but ask Jane who she thinks we should place a cheeky fiver on down William Hill this afternoon. “Last year I placed my first ever bet — and it was on Holland winning this World Cup,” the Scottish photographer says. “I’ve got a very unscientific way of guessing which team will win a match and it’s based on which team feel the most relaxed and are having the best time. Based on my predictions… Holland will win because they have such a good vibe.”

We’ll see just how much of a seer Jane is over the next football-filled few weeks.