Visa has launched a new campaign ‘Visa Pep Talks’ tackling online hate in Women’s Football, in time for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The digital payments company and sponsor of the UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign will be revealing the influence of encouraging messages from fans on social media for women leaders, both on and off the field.

Subscribe to Mobile Marketing Magazine

Click here to get the latest marketing news free in your inbox every Thursday

It also aims to highlight Visa’s dedication to promoting the success of women in football and business.

As part of the campaign, Visa is also launching a digital FanZone experience in partnership with leading global sports entertainment platform, DAZN, in a bid to bring fans together digitally and enhance their experience throughout the tournament.

This comes as recent analysis by Visa revealed a concerning trend of increased negative sentiment towards women players on social media, despite the growing visibility and positive momentum behind the women’s game.

Comparing social media comments from the last two major international tournaments in women’s football, Visa found that the number of total posts related to players has more than tripled (208%).

However, 9%in the last international tournament were negative, equating to over 38,000 posts across the UK, France and Spain.

Team Visa Footballer for England and Chelsea, Lauren James, said: “Women’s football continues to grow, but it’s becoming more important for the noise from the fans to get louder too. My supporters have been with me through the highs, as well as some of the tougher times, which is why I’m excited to be partnering with Visa, raising awareness and celebrating women on the world stage.”

Visa Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Kadlec, added: “Having supported women’s football for the past 15 years, we are proud of our work to champion success on and off the pitch. At Visa, we have seen the importance of increasing visibility, positivity and inclusion across all levels of the game.

“Visa champions women’s success in football, and in business – whether that’s at the start of their career or a new venture away from it. Through this campaign, we celebrate their achievements and reinforce positive support.”