The Netherlands’ royal crest changes gender for national women’s football team kit by Nike

Nike has revealed the new Netherlands Women’s National Team kit will feature a lioness instead of lion, changing the royal crest for the first time in 46 years. Part of a project by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam together with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the change represents the team’s nickname as the Oranje Leeuwinnen (Orange Lionesses).

W+K hopes this will help drive women’s sports participation: “This is an idea that is so much bigger than just a campaign or logo update,” says Hannah Smit, art director at W+K Amsterdam. “It’s an idea that will endure and a strong statement that will help to continue to accelerate the growing momentum around women’s football. It’s a message that gives female players something of their own to rally behind.”

Nike says the transformation aims to inspire a new generation of players to “wear what you are”.

The crest will debut at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 tournament’s opening game, the Netherlands vs Norway, on 16 July. An online film They Call Us Leeuwinnen explains the rationale behind the crest’s transformation.