PERNILLE HARDER AND MAGDALENA ERIKSSON SHOW THAT LOVE ALWAYS WINS
Magdelena Eriksson and Pernille Harder are not only Chelsea WFC team mates but real-life partners. ‘Love Always Wins,’ is a film celebrating the on and off pitch achievements of the pair who play at the most elite level of women’s football. The two were thrust into the spotlight after a photograph of them kissing on-pitch at the 2019 World Cup went viral, and has since become a powerful symbol of where attitudes in football culture should be heading.
Women’s History Month is not merely an opportunity to uplift women’s accomplishments across the globe but allows for the celebration of positive and alternative representations of what womanhood can look like; from self-expression, who women choose to love, to their career choices. What is unique about the depiction of Eriksson and Harder’s relationship is that the focus is on their companionship, showing how the two continue to support eachother regardless of the challenges they face as an LGBTQ+ couple playing at the top. This year, the theme for International Women’s day was #BreakTheBias, and Eriksson and Harder are doing just that.
"For both of us, difference is something we celebrate and value. We both feel so strongly that we should cherish diversity and we should strive for inclusion,” says Pernille Harder. “We keep pushing forward because we want a world without discrimination and stereotypes, a world that really is better for everyone," she continues.
Eriksson and Harder, the Swedish defender and Danish forward, are happy to fly the flag for the LGBTQ+ community in football, and in doing so, serve as examples to aspiring women and non-binary athletes.
The film, written and directed by Dean George and produced by Fresh Base Productions, depicts timeless love, providing a fly-on-the-wall snapshot into the everyday lives of the couple. The stylistic piece narrates moments of pride and off-pitch achievement for the two footballers, seeing them in moments of closeness and unwavering partnership.
“They are revered for the conversations they’ve started and their unceasing efforts to challenge the status quo,” said Fi McCrindle, Digital and Campaign Lead at Ten Toes.
“A huge part of what we do at Ten Toes is help players tell their story away from the pitch. Madga and Pernille’s story is inspiring and uplifting, so for us, it was really important to create this piece and make sure everyone is able to celebrate them and know what they’ve achieved.”
Love Always Wins is a Ten Toes film, written and directed by Dean George and produced by Fresh Base Productions.