Two Websites, One Goal: Building CF Benidorm’s Digital Future

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time recently working on two websites side by side: a proposed new official CF Benidorm website and CF Benidorm Talk, my own separate supporters’ website.

Before going any further, I should make something clear. The official website I’m developing is a prototype, not an approved club project. I’m exploring ideas, designs and features that I hope might contribute towards improving the club’s online presence, but ultimately it’s for the CF Benidorm board to decide what direction the club takes.

The club may decide to use some of my ideas, take the website in a completely different direction or choose another solution altogether. That’s absolutely fine. My role here is to contribute what I can, share ideas and hopefully offer something useful that helps the club move forward.

I absolutely love being involved with CF Benidorm, and seeing the club succeed is incredibly important to me. Whether that’s through commercial partnerships, attracting more supporters, improving communications or developing a better online presence, I want to do everything I reasonably can to help.

And websites are something I know a thing or two about, so naturally I’ve been getting stuck in!

There’s also a reason I’m developing two websites at the same time, and the projects are more closely connected than they might initially appear.

CF Benidorm Talk is effectively my testing ground.

It’s my own project, which gives me somewhere to experiment with different designs, features, layouts, content and ways of engaging supporters without constantly making changes to an official club website.

I can try things out, see what works, learn from what doesn’t and hopefully use that experience to develop ideas that could benefit CF Benidorm.

The proposed official website is a considerably more ambitious undertaking, not least because it will be multilingual.

Although I’ve built and managed plenty of football websites over the years, I’ve never developed a multilingual website before. That’s presented a completely new set of challenges and required considerably more research, planning and effort than I initially anticipated.

It’s not simply a case of translating a few paragraphs from English into Spanish, or vice versa. The entire website needs to function properly in different languages, from navigation and menus to news articles, fixtures, club information and everything in between.

I want both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking visitors to have a professional, consistent experience, rather than one language feeling like an afterthought.

It’s been a learning curve, but that’s something I’ve always enjoyed about working online. Technology changes, expectations change and there’s always something new to get your head around. Even after all these years, I’m still learning.

I’d rather take the time to get things right than rush something online simply to say it’s finished.

Two Websites With Different Purposes

Whatever direction the club eventually takes, I believe its official website should be its professional home online.

It’s where supporters, sponsors, potential commercial partners, journalists and anyone interested in the club should be able to find reliable information, official announcements, fixtures, results, ticketing details and news.

It needs to reflect the ambition of the football club and present CF Benidorm in the best possible way.

The screenshots below show some of the ideas I’ve been exploring. They’re working prototypes rather than finished or approved designs, and they may change significantly or never be used at all.

Please note: All designs, layouts and text shown in these official website prototypes are experimental and have not been approved by CF Benidorm.

CF Benidorm Talk has a different role entirely.

It’s a supporters’ website, not an official club publication. Although I’m involved in the management of CF Benidorm, I still want somewhere that retains the character of a traditional football fans’ website.

Somewhere a little more relaxed, conversational and personal.

A place for football opinions, supporter stories, discussions, photographs, features and the sort of content that might not necessarily belong on a formal club website.

I’d also like to give people a better understanding of some of the work that goes into running a football club. There are plenty of interesting things happening away from the pitch that supporters rarely get to hear about.

That doesn’t mean publishing confidential information, private conversations or anything that should remain behind closed doors. It simply means sharing appropriate experiences, explaining some of the work involved and perhaps giving people a different perspective on football.

CF Benidorm Talk is my own project, and anything I publish there will remain separate from official club communications. Being involved with the club naturally brings responsibilities, and I take those seriously.

Another Way to Help the Club Grow

There’s also a commercial and promotional benefit to having another platform.

Not every piece of content needs to appear on the official club website, and not everybody engages with formal club communications.

CF Benidorm Talk gives me another way to promote matches, encourage ticket sales, highlight sponsors, support club initiatives and introduce more people to CF Benidorm.

It also creates opportunities to experiment with different approaches to marketing and audience engagement.

For example, I might try a particular type of article, promotional feature or social media campaign through CF Benidorm Talk and see how people respond. If something proves successful, there’s potentially a lesson there that can benefit the club’s wider marketing strategy.

And because CF Benidorm Talk has its own identity, it can reach people in a different way without overwhelming the official website with every promotional idea or piece of supporter-focused content.

The two websites aren’t competing with one another. They’re intended to complement each other.

The official club website, whatever form it eventually takes, should provide the professional, authoritative voice of CF Benidorm. My supporters’ website can offer a more informal platform for discussion, promotion and experimentation.

Ultimately, I hope both can contribute towards the same objective: helping CF Benidorm grow its audience, strengthen its relationship with supporters and develop commercially.

Still Doing What I Love

There’s a personal side to all of this as well.

I’ve been building football websites, creating content and bringing supporters together since 1998.

What started as a hobby eventually became my full-time business, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a significant part of my life doing something I genuinely enjoy.

Getting involved with CF Benidorm has opened up a completely different side of football to me, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

There’s a great deal happening behind the scenes at a football club that most supporters never see. From sponsorship discussions and commercial opportunities to ticket sales, marketing, matchday arrangements and the countless little things that need sorting out, there’s always something going on.

I’ve learned a tremendous amount from the people I’m working alongside, and I genuinely enjoy being part of the team trying to move the club forward.

I want CF Benidorm to succeed. Not just on the pitch, although naturally we all want to see the team winning, but as a football club that continues to grow, attract supporters, develop commercially and build something sustainable for the future.

That matters to me enormously.

At the same time, I still enjoy writing articles, developing websites, trying out new ideas, talking to supporters and getting involved in the everyday things that make football communities special.

In fact, I think those interests can be particularly useful in the work I’m now doing.

Football clubs are businesses, of course, but they’re also communities. The commercial side matters because it helps provide the foundations for everything else, but the supporters are just as important to the identity and future of a club.

One of the things I particularly enjoy about CF Benidorm is the opportunity to be involved in both sides of that relationship.

I can be working on sponsorship or marketing one day and talking football with supporters the next. To me, those things aren’t separate worlds. They can and should support one another.

And if the websites I’m developing, the ideas I’m exploring or the experience I’ve gained over the years can make even a small contribution towards the club’s success, then I’ll consider the effort worthwhile.

Still Learning, Still Experimenting

Neither website is a finished product, and there’s still plenty of work ahead.

CF Benidorm Talk will continue to evolve as my own supporters’ project, giving me somewhere to experiment with ideas, develop content and explore different ways of engaging with football fans.

At the same time, I’ll continue developing and refining ideas for the club’s official website, with a particular focus on professionalism, accessibility and making information available in multiple languages.

Whether the board ultimately chooses to adopt any of that work is entirely its decision. The important thing for me is that I’m contributing ideas and doing what I can to help.

The process is also giving me an opportunity to combine what I’ve learned over the years with new challenges and new ways of working.

I enjoy the commercial responsibilities I have at CF Benidorm, but I also enjoy the practical, creative side of football. Being able to combine the two is something I genuinely appreciate.

For me, this isn’t about having two websites for the sake of it. It’s about learning, experimenting, reaching more people and hopefully contributing something positive to a football club I really enjoy being part of.

Two different websites, two different approaches, but ultimately one shared ambition: to help CF Benidorm become a stronger, better-connected and more successful football club.

And I still get a kick out of seeing an idea gradually come together.

Some habits are difficult to break!