In a departure from traditional, highly polished holiday advertising, Chelsea Football Club has officially bypassed the conventional festive commercial crowd. Instead, the Premier League side has conceptualized and built its very own satirical, retro-inspired television network for the holiday season, titled That’s Proper Chels. Developed by creative agency TILL DAWN and underpinned by a strategic framework from brand consultancy ICONIC, the campaign embraces the chaotic charm of classic television broadcasting. Complete with a dedicated weather report, a home-shopping channel, a sports phone-in, and intentionally disruptive ad breaks, the project serves as an imaginative vehicle for promoting the club’s official Christmas merchandise range while leaning heavily into comedy and club culture.
The rollout of the campaign has been designed to mirror the experiential nature of the holiday season itself—treating Christmas not merely as a single calendar date, but as an immersive period defined by a series of unfolding moments. Rather than releasing a single, linear promotional video, Chelsea FC opted for a staggered digital strategy that treats social media feeds like a physical TV guide, inviting supporters to channel-hop across various platforms to piece together a multifaceted narrative.
A Stacked Broadcast Schedule and Star-Studded Lineup
The programming grid for That’s Proper Chels features an eclectic mix of fictional television formats, hosted by a combination of club personnel, media personalities, and high-profile players from both the men’s and women’s squads. The lineup captures a distinctly British sense of humor, blending self-deprecation with club pride.
Among the standout segments is a QVC-style home-shopping slot presented by Jolie Sharpe, who enthusiastically sells the club’s festive range with deadpan corporate zeal. Meanwhile, broadcasting veteran Jason Cundy injects authentic sports radio mayhem into the schedule through a chaotic phone-in segment. For supporters seeking direct engagement with the squad, the Ask João segment features João Pedro responding directly to fan inquiries.
Adding to the comedic value, Cole Palmer delivers the weather forecast with his trademark unflappable, deadpan demeanor. In a particularly notable highlight for fans, Palmer’s well-documented off-pitch bromance with teammate Morgan Rogers is pushed to comedic breaking limits as the pair go head-to-head in a festive jumper showdown.
The broader player roster is heavily utilized across the network’s various fictional shows and ad breaks. Players including Levi Colwill, Katie McCabe, Ellie Carpenter, and Alyssa Thompson all secure prominent slots, demonstrating a willingness from the athletes to embrace absurdity and break the fourth wall.
Behind the Scenes: The Creative Mechanics
The production methodology behind That’s Proper Chels was designed to capture genuine, unscripted reactions rather than sterile, perfect takes. According to creative leadership, the intention was to replicate the raw feel of live television production, where technical mishaps and human errors are broadcast in real-time.
Craig Stronach, founder at TILL DAWN, detailed the production approach, explaining that the project was filmed continuously as if it were a live network broadcast with every camera rolling simultaneously. Consequently, unscripted moments—such as players corpsing, breaking character, sharing sidelong glances with the camera, or looking off-screen toward assistant directors—were deliberately retained
and woven directly into the final narrative.
This digital-first, fragmented approach was intentionally balanced with a high-end visual aesthetic. The campaign utilizes a catalogue-like photographic craft style that bridges the gap between premium editorial design and nostalgic broadcast aesthetics, maintaining what agency executives describe as a distinct "Chelsea cultural cool."
James Kirkham, founder at ICONIC, elaborated on the media consumption habits that informed the campaign’s design. Noting that modern football fans frequently consume content by rapidly flicking between short-form clips, live streams, fan reactions, and digital shopping platforms on a single mobile device, the campaign was engineered to broadcast everywhere simultaneously. Kirkham noted that the strategy successfully evokes the tactile nostalgia of circling items in a Christmas mail-order catalogue before holiday shopping migrated entirely to digital convenience.
Purpose Beyond Profit: Supporting London Communities
Beneath the humor, nostalgia, and commercial objectives of That’s Proper Chels lies a serious philanthropic commitment. Chelsea FC has integrated a substantial charitable component into the campaign, continuing a tradition of community support during the winter months.
A percentage of all proceeds generated from the sale of the club’s festive merchandise range will be donated directly to the Chelsea Foundation and its network of designated charity partners. These funds are earmarked to finance ongoing initiatives that combat loneliness, social isolation, and homelessness across the Greater London area, with a particular focus on the boroughs surrounding the club’s Stamford Bridge stadium and across southwest London and Surrey.
The club’s charitable footprint during the festive season has expanded significantly in recent years. Since the inception of Chelsea’s formalized festive fundraising campaigns in 2024, more than £280,000 has been granted to local organizations dedicated to supporting vulnerable and socially isolated populations. Beyond direct financial contributions, the initiative relies heavily on supporter participation. Last Christmas alone, the club’s annual gift donation drive saw fans contribute more than 3,200 physical presents, which were subsequently distributed to individuals and families in need throughout the local community.
Scott Fenton at Chelsea FC emphasized the dual purpose of the campaign, noting that while the primary goal is to entertain and engage the global fanbase, the initiative remains anchored by a meaningful social mission. By leveraging the reach of the Chelsea community, the club aims to utilize the festive period to deliver tangible assistance to those experiencing isolation during the winter months.
A Continuing Creative Partnership
That’s Proper Chels marks the third major collaborative campaign executed by Chelsea FC alongside creative agency TILL DAWN and brand consultancy ICONIC. The partnership has previously produced high-profile, critically acclaimed projects that challenged traditional football marketing norms.
Their past collaborations include the multi-award-winning campaign London, It’s Our House, which earned a prestigious Gold Clio Sports award for its integration of local culture and club identity. Additionally, the trio collaborated on the Can’t Tame Us campaign, which garnered widespread attention earlier in the year when a new Chelsea kit was covertly revealed through a dynamic visual sequence featuring Gymskin and pop icon Madonna.
With That’s Proper Chels, Chelsea FC and its creative partners have once again demonstrated how sports organizations can leverage modern digital fragmentation, humor, and cultural relevance to engage supporters, while simultaneously utilizing their platform to address critical social issues within their local communities.
