WATCH: Storytelling for Growth: How Emerging Sports Can Build Audiences and Secure Their Future

Moderated by Sarah Butler, Founder and PR Consultant at Sport Business Connected, the panel also featured Adrien De Cheveigné, Head of Digital Transformation and Strategic Development at UCI, and Melissa Soobratty, Head of Media and Marketing at the Professional Squash Association. Together, they explored how storytelling, data, and athlete-driven content can fuel fan engagement, unlock new commercial opportunities, and build long-term value across the sporting ecosystem.

Here are our key takeaways from the session:

Approaching the Full Fan Lifecycle

Engaging today’s sports fans goes beyond sharing highlights. It starts with standout moments, but the real value lies in consistent, meaningful storytelling that builds loyalty and drives action. Knowing your audience and defining your sport’s identity is key. Clear positioning helps content connect, especially when tailored for the right platform, from short-form social clips to long-form broadcast stories.

To keep fans engaged year-round, a long-term content strategy is essential. Smart use of data, packaged for digital and social, deepens connections and enables real-time adjustments that enhance performance and prove value.

Why Data and Distribution Matter

Data is the foundation of any strategy. It guides content decisions, measures engagement, and provides the proof that sponsors need. But it’s not just about collecting, it’s about organising and activating that data. AI and tech tools can help sift through the noise and target fans more precisely.

Distribution, meanwhile, needs to meet modern expectations. Today’s audiences want content fast and free. A flexible, multi-platform approach, pairing social media as the “shop window” with deeper experiences on OTT platforms, helps reach beyond loyal fans to capture the curious.

The Role of Education in Fan Engagement

Education plays a vital role in helping fans understand and connect with a sport, but timing and approach matter. It’s not just about teaching rules, it’s about building context. Regardless of the sport, helping audiences understand the complexity of events, athletes' decisions, or even safety rules can make the viewing experience more compelling. However, for education to take hold, fans need to be emotionally invested first. If you dive straight into technical explanations without building that connection, you risk losing them.

That’s why relatability is key. Breaking things down into simple, engaging formats, like how-to guides or immersive content from an athlete’s perspective, helps make niche sports more accessible. Education isn’t just about informing, it’s about sparking curiosity and making fans feel part of the journey.

Athletes as Storytellers

Athletes are no longer just competitors; they’re influencers, storytellers, and key voices in audience engagement. Personal moments and behind-the-scenes content drive massive interest. Supporting athletes, especially those without agency, to feel confident on social media ensures their stories can shine.

Rather than control athlete content, organisations should focus on partnerships that build authentic, mutually beneficial stories, where both athletes and organisations thrive.

Demonstrating Value Through Story and Reach

Proving value to rights holders and sponsors starts with data, it’s the foundation for showing impact. But distribution and storytelling are what bring that value to life. Audiences today expect instant, free access across multiple platforms. That means sports organisations need to stop being overly protective with content distribution and instead focus on meeting fans where they are, whether that’s short-form clips on social or deeper stories on broadcast and OTT platforms.

Reaching beyond loyal fans is essential. Social media serves as the shop window, drawing attention and curiosity, while owned platforms, such as OTT channels, become the main destination. This dual approach lets organisations tailor content by audience and platform, moving away from a one-size-fits-all model.

It’s about more than match action. Lifestyle stories, fan polls, and user-generated content provide audiences with a reason to stick around and feel included. The more fans feel part of the story, the stronger the connection becomes.

Advice for Emerging Sports

For sports without major platforms, growth starts with research. Understanding who you are trying to reach and how people perceive your sport unlocks a better strategy. From there, experiment, adapt quickly, and don’t be afraid to fail.

• Grassroots stories and community-level content often have the biggest impact.
• Keep content open and visible and prioritise reach before monetisation.
• Focus on creating great experiences, both online and in-person.
• Memorable, inclusive moments are what turn curious audiences into lifelong fans.