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How to prepare for football commentary: a step-by-step guide

Short answer: Prepare for football commentary by working backwards from kick-off. Two to four days out, build both squads with numbers, positions and pronunciations; the day before, turn your research into short, sayable storylines and fill material; and in the final hour, check the confirmed line-ups against your notes and fix anything that has changed. Good prep is less about knowing everything and more about having the right ten facts within reach when you need them.

This guide works whether you call the Premier League, the National League, a university side or your local club's YouTube stream. If you're a volunteer or calling lower-league football, we've flagged where the data is thinner and what to do about it.

Step 1: Pin down the basics (as soon as you're booked)

Before you research a single player, confirm the practical details. It sounds obvious, but these are the things that catch people out.

Step 2: Build both squads (three to two days before)

This is the backbone of your prep. For every player in both squads, note:

Add both managers and their time in the job, and the match officials once announced.

Where to look: club websites, official league sites, club social channels and match programmes. For pronunciations, club media teams, club videos where players say their own names, and post-match interviews are the most reliable sources.

Lower-league and volunteer tip: at step 5 and below, or in women's and youth football, squad lists online can be incomplete or out of date. Contact the club media officer or secretary early in the week. Most are glad to help someone covering their team, and they'll often tell you the pronunciations too.

Step 3: Find the storylines (two days to one day before)

Fans remember storylines, not statistics. Look for:

Star your likely main characters, usually five to eight players across both teams. They'll get most of your words.

Step 4: Turn notes into sayable lines (the day before)

A note is something you read; a talking point is something you can say in one breath. Rewrite your best notes so they're short and natural, then say them out loud. If one needs a second breath, trim it.

Two rules that will save you on air:

  1. Re-check anything time-sensitive on the day. "Top scorer", "unbeaten in six", "bottom of the table" can all change.
  2. Be careful with negatives. "Has never scored against them" or "first time since..." are the easiest claims to get wrong. Only use them if you've checked the source.

Keep a note of where each fact came from. If two sources disagree on a number, say whose number it is or leave it out.

Step 5: Prepare fill material (the day before)

Stoppages happen: injuries, VAR checks, floodlight failures, a ball in the river. Prepare five to ten short items that aren't tied to a moment in the match:

If you have a summariser, add two or three open questions for them, such as "What does he need to change at half-time?", rather than yes-or-no questions.

Step 6: Put it on one page (the day before)

Everything above needs to fit somewhere you can glance at mid-sentence. Most commentators use a one-page match sheet (sometimes called a spotting board): home team on one side, away team on the other, numbers in big type, with storylines and fill material around the edges. Our commentary notes template guide walks through how to build one.

If you'd rather not build the research from scratch every week, CoComms Packs give you a ready-made research pack for your fixture from £5, and your first pack is free.

Step 7: The final hour (line-ups confirmed)

Team sheets usually land about an hour before kick-off. The final hour is for checking, not new research.

  1. Compare the line-ups with your squad list. Mark the starters and move non-starters to the bench section.
  2. Check the formation. A player listed as a defender may be in midfield today.
  3. Note any late changes: a surprise debut, a captain missing, a goalkeeper swap.
  4. Re-check your time-sensitive lines.
  5. Read your top three talking points out loud once.
  6. Do a voice warm-up, have water nearby and check your kit: headset, levels, and a backup pen.

Step 8: After the match (ten minutes)

While it's fresh, jot down which names you stumbled on, which storylines landed and what you wished you'd had. Keep player notes rather than match notes, because they'll still be useful next time you see that team.

How long should prep take?

It varies with experience and how familiar you are with the teams. Calling a club you follow every week takes far less work than a neutral fixture between two sides you've never seen. Start early in the week, do a little each day, and protect the final hour for checking.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should I prepare for football commentary? Start two to four days before the match. Build squads first, storylines and fill material the day before, and save the final hour for checking line-ups.

What's the most important part of commentary prep? Getting names and pronunciations right. Viewers forgive a missed statistic; they notice a mispronounced name every time.

How do I find out how to pronounce player names? Ask the club media team, or listen to club videos and interviews where players say their own names. Write each one phonetically in your own notation.

What should I do when the line-ups come out? Check them against your notes, mark starters and substitutes, confirm the formation, and re-check any time-sensitive claims. Don't start new research.

How much research is too much? If you can't find a fact within a glance, it won't help you live. Prepare more than you need, but keep it to one page you can scan mid-sentence.

Can volunteers and hospital or community radio commentators use the same method? Yes. The steps are the same at every level; at lower levels you'll rely more on contacting the club directly, because online data is often thinner.

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