The Story Club finds football’s local Sages

Managing to capture one of advertising’s more elusive qualities - authenticity - The Story Club’s new campaign for accounting software company Sage is a slice of sport-supporting life, casting real small business owners rather than actors.

Eschewing the pitch for the economic and emotional infrastructure around local teams, Businesses Behind the Badge provides a snapshot of the companies whose dedication helps clubs thrive, showing how clubs and communities are mutually dependent. Launched during the Carabao Cup Final as part of Sage’s EFL partnership, the work shifts the focus from matchday to the businesses that sustain it.

Developed in partnership with The Team and VCCP, the documentary-style piece is shot on 35mm film to complement the tactile nature of its subject, with director Chris Ranson and cinematographer Thomas Tyson Hole, alongside Gary Neville on voiceover duties, grounding the narrative in its essential elements.