Football marketing/communications

[Lewi25]

Evening,

I'm looking for advice, It's been a long term ambition of mine to get into football marketing. I've not got the qualifications to do this but I believe I have the skills, little bit of background: I worked for a BTCC team for 2 years maintaining their website and also handled their social media campaigns and have a good understanding and some experience of other forms of marketing.

I recently approached a team and they gave me some great advice which was to get in with a local team and gain relevant experience, my local team play in the 7th tier of English football and they are fairly established (nice stadium, good facilities etc). They do have an older chap who runs the website and social media during the week and on matchdays, I can only speculate that he is paid for this even though the club are fairly small. I tried to reach out to him for advice but he's not responded, would it be worth speaking to the club? I wouldn't expect to be paid for the position, so would only want to be a trainee of sorts, I just don't want them to potentially replace him with me because I'll do it for free.

Anybody been in this position? And does anybody work in this field?

Thanks in advance.

[rog007]

Rather than go to an established; why not go where there's nothing and so may value your support more (and you would have greater artistic freedom). I'm thinking kids leagues?

[technodup]

I can't speak for the 7th tier of English football (what is that anyway?) but if it's anything like Scottish football he won't be paid. Most Premier teams up here outwith Celtic run with an absolute bare bones staff, I know of two who have two people in their offices. Two people to run the club in its entirety (other than the playing side). That's all the admin, accounts, marketing, hospitality etc etc.

They're crying out for help but have no money to do anything. Most get by with 'community' stuff, charity tie-ins, get the kids along to training, let them in free, hope the Dads will buy a season book, that type of thing.

I'd love to do it for my team but it's a strange one in that unlike most markets once you're a customer of one business you aren't likely to switch, so you need to get them young. Or a second team sort of thing if it's down the leagues.

Depending on what you asked the guy I'm not surprised he didn't respond. *If* it came across like you wanted his 'job' why would he? Personally I'd come up with an idea and bypass him altogether. But be mindful at that level he's almost certainly a friend of the owner, on the committee, a lifelong fan or has some other connection to the club, so don't put his nose out of joint.

Can't really be of much help, but a BTCC team is at least the level you're talking about so there's no harm in pushing it further.

[Lewi25]

Thanks to both of you for the advice, it's very much appreciated. After speaking to a number of people it seems that this is probably something I should of looked into doing a bit earlier. Seems the starting wage for someone in this position is about 14k, and with all the travel it's not really feasable right now with mortgage etc...

Maybe something for the future!

[Matt UK]

I know a chap who went into a senior marketing / comma role with the FA.

His background was as a marketer in the fast moving consumer goods arena. So he didn't have a background in football of sports, but did have the marketing skills / training / contacts required.