How smaller football club can develop a global brand

Football has evolved into a global industry where clubs compete not only through sporting results but also through their brands. In recent years, top clubs, such as Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, have received broader attention than smaller clubs, which not compete in Champions League every year and do not possess star players in its squad. Therefore, there is a lack of knowledge about how a team that has limited resources can reach global recognition. This thesis addresses that gap by examining the branding strategies of six clubs: Real Betis, Venezia, Hellas Verona, Valencia, Pyramids FC, and Akron Togliatti. Afterwards, these cases were contrasted with AC Milan as a benchmark case. The Master’s Thesis used a multiple-case study design with semi-structured interviews, analyzed through a Grounded Theory approach. The findings demonstrate that smaller clubs cannot replicate the resource-heavy, top-down branding models of top football clubs. In case of smaller clubs, they build from the bottom up, starting with local identity, culture, and community before expanding outward. Three strategical directions were suggested: niche approach, bricolage, and path dependence. Based on these directions, Strategic Nicheification approach was formed, where clubs select and master an authentic form of capital (whether aesthetic, tourism, emotional, or narrative) that distinguishes them from larger competitors. The study contributes to the limited academic literature on football branding and offers practical directions for smaller clubs, highlighting authenticity, creative resource use, and storytelling as key drivers of sustainable brand growth.