Hull City AFC
Role: Head of Marketing and Communications

Broadcast | Brand | Digital | Media | PR | Content | Editorial | Supporter Liaison | Fan Experience | Corporate Comms

Overview:
Recruited to lead the turnaround of Hull City AFC as part of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting directly to the owner. Tasked with overhauling the Club’s marketing strategy, brand positioning, and fan engagement while steering a team of 19. Successfully reshaped the culture, ensuring a consumer-first mindset and forward-thinking approach.

Key Achievements:

Brand Transformation & Marketing Strategy: Shifted marketing focus from 100% match-centric to a balanced 50/50 approach, introducing brand-building efforts to combat a historically low perception of the Club. This strategic shift significantly boosted brand love and ensured consistent engagement regardless of team performance.

Kit & Crest Redesign: Played a pivotal role in the design and launch of the 18/19 and 19/20 kits in partnership with Umbro. Led the complete redesign of the Club’s crest, orchestrating a successful supporter-led launch and seamless roll-out across all digital and physical touchpoints.

Global Corporate Brand Strategy: Developed and implemented a comprehensive global brand strategy and visual identity, including brand architecture, vision, mission, and values that better aligned with the Club’s evolving image.

Digital Strategy & Innovation: Championed a cutting-edge global digital strategy that included the launch of the Club’s first-ever streaming service with multi-camera capabilities. Designed a bespoke, industry-leading streaming offering for international supporters and negotiated a landmark deal to return Club commentary to the BBC.

Enhanced Supporter Experience: Revamped the matchday experience, introducing dynamic elements like total stadium takeovers on digital screens, redesigned player areas, and new animated content for concourse screens. Launched members-only events, reintroduced concession tickets, and established a restructured supporters committee for more meaningful engagement.

Content & Media Strategy Overhaul: Completely redesigned the content strategy, focusing on web, streaming, and social media platforms. Led multiple new content series, reprogrammed stadium big screens, and introduced animation to pitch-side LED screens for adverts. Executed the launch of brand campaigns and kit releases with impactful, dynamic content across all channels.

Community & Corporate Engagement: Fostered stronger ties with the Tigers Trust, the Club’s charity arm, while successfully restructuring supporter outreach and introducing a new end-of-season supporter survey. Developed and launched a supporter charter and devised initiatives to tackle online abuse within the football community.

Crisis Communications & Paid Media Strategy: Created a robust corporate communications strategy to navigate crisis situations effectively and revamped the paid media strategy to ensure maximum exposure and alignment with business goals.

Additional Milestones:

Established a fully integrated marketing team overseeing PR, digital, content, events, and brand management.

Launched a comprehensive player community outreach programme, deepening the Club’s relationship with its fanbase.

Pioneered impactful changes to stadium operations, increasing the quality of both fan and sponsor experiences.