The Rise of the Football Documentary and its Future: Arsenal, Wrexham and Figo
Over the last 3 weeks, I have watched the Luis Figo transfer documentary, Arsenal All or Nothing and the eight available episodes of Welcome to Wrexham; the doc that tracks the takeover of the Welsh football club by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. A sacrifice I was reluctantly willing to make for the good of #content..
Before we delve into varying degrees of access, quality and purpose, it is firstly important to recognise how wonderful this is. I am old enough to remember a time where a documentary on a football team was a rarity. Now we collectively enter the dressing room in the Emirates Stadium with near contempt for our surroundings, demanding more from our Spanish protagonist, Mikel Arteta. We need another lightbulb moment please, Mikel. The football documentary has become that ubiquitous.
Although heavily sanitised, this latest edition in the All Or Nothing series is a marked improvement on the Man City and Spurs iterations. What it lacks in Mourinho, it makes up for in storyline. The unfolding of the Aubameyang saga being the headline moment. Not only was it good TV, it also gave a real insight in Arteta’s commitment to long term culture over short term results. The doc also had the recovery of Saka after an incredibly difficult summer at the Euros and the benefit of a natural climax to the season, with Arsenal down chasing fourth position in the Premier League and ultimately failing.
It’s clear the final product was managed carefully by the powers that be at Arsenal. Owners and senior management staff all emerge from the series with reputations enhanced. With this kind of editorial control, the football doc route increasingly looks like a no-brainer for clubs at this level. Arsenal were reportedly paid £10m by Amazon, they reach a larger prospective fanbase and it platforms their stars. Do I support Arsenal? No. Do I now have some semblance of an emotional interest in the fortunes of Eddie Nketiah, Saka, Arteta, Rob Holding, Aaron Ramsdale et al? Sadly, I do.
Of course, the rise of Drive to Survive comes into sharp focus in the rear view mirror when discussing docu-style content to grow a sporting brand. For rights owners, it is surely the north star for growth whilst simultaneously the most frequent and tedious conversation. The simplistic view is that Drive To Survive has blown up the sport. The reality is likely that it has been a key component in a wider US focused strategy by Liberty, which is now coming to fruition.
This illustrates a pathway to attracting a younger fan but it’s important to recognise that it is US data, which has fewer legacy F1 fans. Markets with a larger and longer standing F1 fanbase will be slower to move the needle in terms of demo, you would think.
After their initial dalliance with the All Or Nothing series, Man City have now taken their content of this nature in house, living on City+. This is more of a walled garden approach with documentaries, highlights and interviews all residing here for £2.99 per month. The strategy, it would seem, is more about monetising existing fans rather wider appeal and brand growth. Expect to see a lot more of this as rights owners build out their video and tech capabilities.
Welcome to Hollywood Wrexham
Incredibly, we are now at a juncture where we need to ask: What comes first; the football or the content? There is a fantastic scene in the opening episode of Welcome to Wrexham where Reynolds and McElhenny are pitching themselves to become the new owners of the club to the powers that be.
One of the questions posed to the Hollywood stars is if there will be a documentary produced. McElhenny responds in the affirmative and his Hollywood partner points out afterwads that this was a good answer as ‘you could see the giant camera behind you.’ He continues to tease McElhenney: ‘Yeah we are making a documentary. Like right this fucking second… Is that an Imax camera? Like, what the fuck!’ All good fun.
“Yeah we are making a documentary. Like right this fucking second”
Levity aside, this illustrates that the documentary did indeed come before the club in this instance. Filming had begun before the acquisition had even taken place. Granted, many fly-on-the-wall documentaries will start speculatively but it does highlight how the doc was part of the project before there was a project.
Of course, it all makes sense. These men know a good story when they see one and that comes gushing out of the duo from the outset. ‘This is an underdog story’, asserts Reynolds early on, while McElhenny focuses on the more tenuous link of a working class Philadelphia sports fan finding commonalities with the struggles of the people of Wrexham.
The underdog story arguably ends once the Hollywood money and cameras roll into town but lets not let that get in the way of It’s Always Sunny in Deadpool heading to the Racecourse Ground. Therein lies the real USP of this show: the juxtaposition of Hollywood and Wrexham. We are transported from the luxury homes of McElhenny and Reynolds to the more modest life afforded to the people of the North Wales town. What’s not to like about watching the pair squirming in the stands at Maidenhead away?
In truth, it is the Welsh protagonists who drive the majority of the show’s more poignant moments; not the newly arrived owners. As the show has progressed, the charm has waned as the documentary makers search for narrative, but the numbers don’t lie.
The show has been a booming success and you can’t help but admire the model. TikTok were savvy enough to become the main short sponsor when they saw the opportunity that was coming down the tracks. Expedia was also quick to get in on the act; two companies you wouldn’t usually associate with teams in the National League. Immediately you can see the mutual benefits. Wrexham have commercial partners far beyond what the size of the club could typically command. The sponsors have global visibility in a hit show whilst also having Reynolds and McElhenney effectively sell their products. In fact, they literally sell you products in the show; from horse trailers to Tiktok to Reynold’s Aviation gin.
To be fair to the twosome, they do seem genuinely engaged in the project and passionate about the club. This can be evidenced by Reynolds recently tweeting to his 20M followers to complain about the lack of international streaming rights for the Vanarama National League. I’m here for it. They have also used their newly formed partnership and ownership of Wrexham to promote awareness of serious health issues also. A side project we can all get onboard with:
A notable mention must also go to the Figo documentary which was another worthy affair. The filmmakers at Pitch International did a superb job in bringing this story to life through key contributors, home footage, archive and recreations that plant you inside the head of the subjects. When you speak to someone who has watched this documentary, the first two questions asked are: ‘It’s good, isn’t it?’ and ‘Where was the pig's head?’. That particular moment may have been a bridge too far for team Figo. Notwithstanding the omission of our swine, a quality documentary on an event that was extremely influential in the future of football transfers.
We Want It ALL
Overall, it is safe to assume that this current excess of football documentaries will not be vanishing anytime soon. We can expect a notable increase if anything, as varying commercialisation opportunities continue to emerge.
The brilliant aspect of these fly-on-the-wall documentaries is that they bring you so much closer to the people and characters within a dressing room. We build emotional connections with these people and by extension, their club. There are so many opportunities across the Men’s and Women's games, with World Cups, clubs at varying levels, incredible stories and rich characters galore. Bring it all on.
