Football Advertising Boards for Growing Brands

What Are Football Advertising Boards?

Simple: they’re perimeter boards around the pitch or inside stadiums displaying brand messaging. You’ve seen them at every professional match in the UK—from the Premier League down to League Two.

They come in two main formats:

• Static boards – Traditional vinyl boards. Cheaper, long-duration presence.

• LED digital boards – More flexible, animated. Higher cost, higher impact.

Some boards run along the full touchline. Others sit behind the goal or in corners. Most are sold in slots (e.g. 60 seconds per match, repeated X times).

Why Service-Based Businesses Still Buy Them

Here’s what they deliver, when used right:

1. Local reach, high frequency

Clubs like Derby, Wycombe, or Charlton pull 5,000–20,000 fans per match. Most are local. If you operate within a defined geography, it’s a captive audience.

2. Trust by association

Fans trust clubs. When your name appears next to the pitch, it suggests a relationship. That builds credibility—especially if your business sells considered services (legal, financial, property, etc).

3. Content + credibility

Even a basic sponsorship deal gives you access to club branding, player imagery, and a reason to talk. That’s useful when you want to build out your own social or email campaigns.

How Much Do Football Boards Cost?

It varies massively depending on:

• Club size and division

• Board location

• Format (static vs LED)

• Length of deal

To give you a rough sense:

(Source: Club rate cards, 2023–24 season)

Who's Using Them Well?

You’ll often see:

• Local trades and services – Plumbing, estate agents, solicitors.

• B2B service firms – IT, facilities, security, recruitment.

• Growth-stage brands – Looking to raise awareness ahead of expansion or funding.

How Boards Fit into a Wider Campaign

Boards do one thing well: repeated visual exposure. That’s it. To actually generate leads or sales, you need to build a supporting funnel.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Align your targeting

Choose a club that reflects your audience. Look at:

• Matchday attendance

• Average fan age

• Season ticket holder base (good for retention plays)

2. Use club content

Negotiate use of logos or players in your marketing. Create campaigns around matchdays, local rivalries, or specific fixtures.

3. Track brand recall

Use a simple pre/post brand awareness survey or discount code to measure whether people remember your business after the campaign. Most clubs won’t provide this—you’ll need to do it yourself.

4. Sync it with paid digital

Run localised ads on Meta or Google that reference your stadium presence. Include headlines like:

"You’ve seen us pitchside—now see what we can do for you"

This is where we come in. Our services are built to do exactly that—amplify what you’re already paying for.

LED vs Static Boards: Which is Better?

Here’s a quick breakdown.

If your brand colours are bold or your offer is simple, static can be enough. If you need motion to explain what you do, LED’s worth the premium.

Are They Measurable?

Short answer: not directly.

You won’t get clicks. You won’t get conversions you can trace cleanly to boards. But you can assess:

• Direct traffic increases during match periods

• Search volume growth for brand terms

• Use of offer codes or vanity URLs

• Uplift in social followers, especially if you activate around the sponsorship

To make it more measurable, tie your pitchside presence to a lead-gen asset. E.g.:

• QR code to download a local buyer’s guide

• Stadium-only offer tied to a deadline

• Follow-to-enter giveaways on social

When Boards Don’t Work

We’ve seen boards fail when:

• The brand message is unclear or too busy

• There’s no supporting digital activity

• The audience doesn’t match the service

• It’s seen as a one-off PR move

If you’re treating it as a vanity line in a press release, skip it. Boards work when you plan for repetition and follow-up.

Football Boards vs Other Sports

If your goal is regional awareness, football’s hard to beat. But don’t ignore:

• Cricket – Long dwell times, affluent audiences. Useful for property, financial or insurance services.

• Rugby – Community loyalty. Good for family services, trades, or local B2B firms.

• Women’s sport – Often cheaper, growing fast. Strong brand alignment opportunity.

We compare options when building activation strategies with clients. The sport you choose affects brand perception.

What You Should Do Next

If you're considering football advertising boards:

1. Set a local or regional campaign goal (awareness, leads, hires).

2. Choose the club that best reflects your audience.

3. Use the boards as a visible entry point—not the full campaign.

4. Build a funnel around it—organic, paid, CRM, or in-person.

5. Track results in a way that matches your business model.

We help businesses like yours turn passive brand placements into measurable campaigns. If you’re planning a board sponsorship or want to activate an existing one, get in touch or check out how we work on our about page.

Related Reading

• Case Studies

• Full Service Offering

• More About Dropshot