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Why football clubs must move beyond fixtures and results to embrace storytelling as strategy
By ML Drammeh
What if the most powerful tool in Gambian football sits not on the pitch, but in the hands of the person who tells the club’s story? While coaches chase tactics and players chase glory, the narratives that shape how clubs are seen, supported and funded often go untold. A quick scan of many football clubs’ communication platforms reveals a pattern: football seems to begin with a fixture and end with a result. A match is announced, the team is photographed, the final score is published, and perhaps a player is celebrated for an outstanding performance. Then the cycle resets when the next fixture approaches.
These updates are meaningful. However, they represent only a fraction of what effective football communication should encompass. I believe Gambian football needs a new way of thinking. We must begin to see communication not as an activity reserved for matchdays, but as an essential component of building professional, visible and sustainable football institutions.
A football club is beyond the eleven players who take to the pitch every weekend. Behind every team are stories of young players pursuing their dreams, coaches developing talent, administrators working behind the scenes, and supporters whose loyalty keeps clubs alive. Consider clubs such as Real de Banjul, Wallidan, Brikama United and Hawks. Each possesses a distinct history, identity and connection with its community. The same can be said of smaller clubs competing in the lower divisions and Nawettan competitions. Their stories deserve to be told.
A young player being promoted a senior team is a story. A coach who has spent years developing talent is a story, so is a long-serving fan who has followed a club through its successes and difficult seasons. Unfortunately, many of these stories remain untold because our clubs often wait for matchday before giving their audiences a reason to engage with them.
This is where football communication must evolve. It should not simply tell people what is happening. It should help them understand why it matters.
There is also a strong business case for taking communication seriously. Clubs regularly face challenges attracting sponsors and securing financial support. While these challenges have several causes, the way clubs present themselves to potential partners also matters.
Sponsors want greatly more than a logo on a jersey or a banner around a football ground. They want visibility, audience engagement and an association with institutions that can communicate their values. A club that tells its stories consistently creates more opportunities for sponsor visibility. Player profiles, academy features, community initiatives and interviews can all provide platforms for meaningful partnerships beyond matchday advertising.
Beyond sponsors, clubs must also reconsider how they engage their fans. Football is built on emotion, identity and belonging. People do not support clubs simply because they win matches. Their attachment often comes from family traditions, community connections, memorable players and shared experiences. Clubs should find creative ways to recognise their supporters, celebrate former players, revisit important moments in their history and involve fans in conversations about their teams. Supporters should not only be remembered when clubs need them to fill the stands.
However, the responsibility for improving football communication should not rest entirely on media officers. In many clubs, the person responsible for media is expected to photograph training sessions, design graphics, write captions, publish match reports and manage social media platforms. Yet that same person may have little access to the information needed to communicate effectively. This arrangement must change.
Communication is a management function. Media officers need access to relevant information, regular engagement with club administrators and a clear understanding of the institution’s plans. Club leadership and media officers must work together. At the same time, media officers must become more proactive. Their work should go beyond operating social media accounts. They should identify stories, plan content, engage audiences and find creative ways to present their clubs.
Another area that deserves attention is the preservation of football history. Many Gambian clubs have existed for decades, but their histories are not properly documented. The contributions of former players, coaches, administrators and supporters risk being forgotten because little effort has been made to record them. Clubs should make deliberate efforts to preserve photographs, conduct interviews with former players and administrators, and document important moments in their development. This is not simply about looking back. It is about building an identity that younger generations can understand and appreciate.
Our football institutions must also recognise that communication is part of the wider development of the game. We often discuss pitches, player development, coaching standards, refereeing and finances. These conversations are necessary, but we must also ask how effectively our clubs present themselves, engage their audiences and build relationships with potential partners. Visibility alone does not guarantee success. Having thousands of followers does not necessarily mean a club has built meaningful relationships with its supporters. What matters is the quality of the communication, the consistency of engagement and the value of the stories being told.
A new thinking for Gambian football must include a new appreciation of communication. Clubs must invest in people, embrace storytelling and understand that their identities extend beyond the results they record on the pitch. The work of a football communication officer is not simply to tell supporters when the next match will be played. It is to tell the story of the club, connect its people, preserve its history and communicate its ambitions. The fixtures will come. The matches will be played. The results will be recorded. But the stories deserve to be told every day.
About the author:
Muhammed Lamin Drammeh is a Gambian journalist, football administrator and communication professional. He serves as the Secretary General of the Sports Journalists Association of the Gambia
