Why have a football club website?

In the ever-evolving landscape of football administration, the past decade has witnessed significant transformations, both on and off the pitch.

For many club officials, the vast majority of which volunteer their time, marketing a grassroots football club can seem like a daunting challenge. Grassroots clubs are run and marketed like a business due to the vast number of offline and particularly online requirements of the modern game. Just like a business you have competitors, but rather than competing for sales you are competing for players, volunteers, and sponsorship.

So, why have a club website? Along with offering the tools to streamline club management, credibility is one of the most crucial factors. Just as with any organisation, when people seek information about your club, the first thing they do is search for it online. If your club doesn't appear in search results, chances are they'll explore other clubs in the area. 

Navigating the online marketing terrain for your club doesn't have to be overwhelming. By adhering to fundamental principles, you can elevate your local profile, engage with the community, establish a recognisable brand, and project a professional image showcasing your club's dedication to the game.

Assuming you've cultivated a strong club identity (logo, fonts, colour scheme, design style), maintaining brand consistency online mirrors offline practices. While there's a plethora of social media platforms available to showcase your club, the ultimate goal remains channelling traffic to your website, making it the central hub for information and a destination that visitors frequent repeatedly.

For optimal user experience, your website should embody the following:

• Sleek, clutter-free design
• A dedicated domain name (e.g., www.yourclubname.co.uk)
• Intuitive navigation
• Time-saving features
• All essential information accessible within two clicks
• Full responsiveness across devices
• Built-in options for social media sharing
• Absence of distracting third-party advertisements that dilute your club's image

Your website serves as the online storefront for potential players, volunteers, and sponsors. Think back to your last online shopping experience—how many websites did you dismiss instantly based on their appearance alone? You have mere seconds to captivate a visitor and entice them to explore beyond your homepage.

However, it's not just about attracting new visitors; retaining existing members is equally crucial. Ensure vital information—fixtures, news, events, match reports, club documents—is readily accessible to members, reducing reliance on emails and phone calls as they turn to the website for updates.

While website upkeep can be time-consuming, it's the lifeblood of maintaining engagement online. 

Choose a website provider which will give you the tools to take player registration and payments online. Ditch those paper forms! Create your own custom registration forms to collect everything from medical details to passport photo’s all of which can be nicely exported in a simple spreadsheet ready for entry into WholeGame. Track and moderate all your player registrations and payments in one easy-to-use system. 

Where possible you should also maintain and publish match reports and player statistics on your website. Media outlets such as local newspapers can and will utilise this information. Pick up the phone and tell them it’s there, match reports featured in local papers or on their websites will only raise your club profile.

Share your content across social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter reign supreme in grassroots football with Instagram following closely behind and Tik Tok gaining popularity. Depending on resources we always recommending doing one or two platforms well rather than diluting your output trying to cater to far too many social platforms. 
In this article we have covered the basics of marketing your football club online and hopefully given you an insight into best practice. Get the basics right, and any club can carve out an impressive online presence.