A reminder that everyone has a story to tell …

The brief from the client was definitely on the daunting side of challenging. Could we possibly generate mainstream media coverage of an amateur cup final – a regional final normally reduced to a score line in the smallest of small print, at best – as a way of promoting women’s football in Scotland?

Never let it be said that we shirk a challenge. We set up this agency because we believe that EVERYONE has a story to tell. The case of Shetland Women, who were due to take on Sutherland Ladies in the ScottishPower Highlands and Islands Cup Final, should be considered Exhibit A in any argument on this point of order.

Now, it helps that we’ve both spent our entire adult lives working in a newspaper environment. We’ve grown up (as much as we ever will grow up) to know that, when someone asks you to chase down a transfer rumour or jump on a plane to track down Player X and quiz him about signing for Partick Thistle, the best answer is always: “On it, boss. Give me a couple of hours …”

Honestly? Within two emails and one phone call, it was obvious that there was a story here. A tale of island warrior queens who played in a domestic boys’ league while preparing to take on FIFA-ranked nations in the Island Games. As a sports tale, it had plenty to offer. If only we could find a personal angle that would give it crossover appeal.

Step forward Freya Leslie, a student nurse and healthcare worker who was balancing work, studies and football in a sort of freestyle juggling act. We have a saying in this business, when we strike upon a truly engaging human interest story: “It writes itself.” Not literally, obviously. But, boy, did this one flow.

Not only did our digging deliver a spread – online and in print – in the Press and Journal, we also managed to get a feature in She Kicks magazine. So Freya and her team-mates featured in what is effectively the bible for women’s football, in the same issue where the cover story was an interview with Spain and Manchester City star Leila Ouhabi.

If that wasn’t enough, because we’d been talking with contacts at the BBC, they then followed up on Shetland’s win in the final with a piece on the website. So, to recap, that was coverage in one huge regional title, THE specialist magazine for the women’s game … and the Beeb. All of this because we didn’t turn up our noses at fifth-tier women’s football, suck our teeth and mutter: “Ooh, that’s a hard sell …”

Proof, if any were needed, that we’re onto something here. Sourcing, producing and placing content in an increasingly hungry media machine. And, in the case of Shetland’s remarkable tale of overnight journeys and countless sacrifices, feeling quite privileged to share their story.