Are football clubs finally waking up to the power of branding? Tottenham Hotspur have teamed up with Mother’s Run Deep sports agency, and now Uncommon Creative Studio has been brought in to revamp Chelsea FC.

This “We burn blue” campaign launches the new season Nike home shirt and rebrands the club as CFC LDN, in a bid to position Chelsea as “London’s true club”. The whole fire motif is a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes idea to persuade us that, with new head coaches for both the men’s and women’s teams and lots of young talent, Chelsea are burning bright with new beginnings this year.

Claire Cronin, CMO of Chelsea Football Club, said: “This is the fans’ energy. The players’ energy. The city’s energy. We Burn Blue. Our new home shirt embodies the passion, drive, and determination that runs through the veins of everyone associated with the club. It is a representation of our history, our present, and our future. We couldn’t have chosen a better partner in Uncommon to help us bring this important moment to bear.”

Nils Leonard, co-founder, Uncommon, said: “This thinking encapsulates the club and players sentiment ahead of the new season, as they bring a new energy and new fire to Stamford Bridge. This is only just the beginning — this is about partnering with the fans, players and club to create the brand Chelsea has always deserved, to bring the iconic London club to the world.”

The campaign – which features Chelsea stars including Cole Palmer, Sam Kerr and Moises Ciacedo, as well as lots of youth talent and a soundtrack by DJ Joy Orbison – takes itself pretty seriously. But it succeeds in getting across the message about fire and passion and energy etc.

Chelsea have a lot of challenges this season and might struggle to live up to Uncommon’s promises, but you can’t stop fans (and brands) from hoping that this will be their year.

MAA creative scale: 6.5