The power of role models: How Sports Illustrated and Saint Elmo's encourage young girls not to stop playing sports

Munich, 18 March 2025 – According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls are twice as likely as boys to stop playing sport by the age of 14. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of visible role models.

Saint Elmo's has therefore conceived and realised a design initiative in collaboration with Sports Illustrated Germany that aims to change exactly that: The "Wall of Will" uses bright colours and a dynamic, progressive layout to tell the stories of seven top female athletes – including the captain of the German national football team Giulia Gwinn, WNBA basketball stars Satou and Nyara Sabally and Olympic sprinter Gina Lückenkemper.

Their encouraging stories serve as motifs for the "Wall of Will", a giant wallpaper that is displayed in places where young girls often think about quitting sport – in mostly dreary school sports halls and changing rooms. The aim of the initiative is to motivate girls to take up sport and stick with it.

More impressions of the "Wall of Will" can be found here. 

"With the 'Wall of Will', we want to bring female athletes and their inspiring stories right in front of the eyes of teenage girls. Knowing people who look like you or who have experienced the same challenges as you can make a big difference when it comes to keeping going," explains Myriam Karsch, Managing Partner, Sports Illustrated Germany & Kouneli.

"It was important to find a place where we could connect with the girls in a meaningful way. Sports halls, gyms and changing rooms are usually the places where girls' morale is at its lowest when they're not enjoying sport. The wallpapers allow us to become a part of these spaces while telling the stories of the female athletes – in an impactful way," adds Matthias Harbeck, CCO Saint Elmo's Group. "It's easy to walk past a normal poster and miss it, but with huge wallpapers that are up to 6 metres high or even higher, it's impossible to miss the message that the 'Wall of Will' conveys."

Saint Elmo's developed the campaign idea and is responsible for its realisation. The Dutch design studio HyperCulture was brought on board as a creative partner.

The aim was to create a dynamic visual language with a clear attitude – playful, but never childish. The design was inspired by the raw, expressive collages often found in students' high school notebooks.

In addition to the large "Wall of Will" wallpapers in the school sports halls and changing rooms, the initiative is also being spread by the seven top female athletes themselves on their social media channels. Several schools have already joined the initiative – Munich International School, which was the first school to install a "Wall of Will" on its campus.

The "Wall of Will" is also featured in the March issue of Sports Illustrated Germany. Sports Illustrated was founded in the USA in 1954 and is one of the best-known and most renowned sports magazines in the world. Sports Illustrated Germany combines top American sports such as American football and basketball with German favourites such as football, Formula 1, athletics and tennis.