No More Years of Hurt

Dame Virginia McKenna and Will Travers OBE modelling their shirts.

Born Free’s Co-Founders Dame Virginia McKenna and Will Travers OBE, TV and Radio Presenter Amanda Holden, and Olympian and Broadcaster Aimee Fuller are among the celebrities who have donned a specially-made England football shirt, with the iconic three lions removed from the logo, to highlight the fact that 3 in 4 wild lions have disappeared since England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966. 

As England’s World cup campaign progresses, millions of fans will rally behind the three lions – one of football’s most iconic symbols.

By removing the three lions from the shirt, their absence serves as a powerful visual reminder that while lions remain among sport’s most celebrated symbol, their future in the wild is far less certain.

Watch out for more famous faces modelling their shirts in the coming days!

Lions are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and their population trend is declining, with an estimated ~22,000–25,000 lions remaining in Africa. The main pressures behind their decline include human-carnivore conflict and retaliatory killings, habitat loss, prey depletion, trophy hunting and captivity.

The baseline population of wild lions in 1970 was around 92,054, suggesting an approximate 75% decline in the 6 decades since England’s 1966 victory.

Born Free works to keep lions in the wild by supporting long-term conservation programmes that reduce conflict, protect habitats, monitor lions and promote coexistence between people and carnivores. This includes things like lion monitoring, reinforcing livestock enclosures to reduce human-wildlife conflict, employing conservation ambassadors and carrying out community education.

The campaign was created by Gavin McReady and Matt Crump, with Romila Sanassy of Tarot Productions as executive producer.