Abstract

The rise of women’s football has placed new emphasis on digital branding, with social media becoming a vital space for visibility, engagement, and representation. This thesis investigates how Instagram content strategies influence fan engagement during the CAF Women’s and Men’s Champions League tournaments. Specifically, it examines the role of content type (match, behind-the-scenes, off-the-pitch, promotional), marketing orientation (organic, sponsored, collaborative), and post format (reel, carousel, photo, graphic) in shaping audience interaction.

Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach, the study analyzed 674 Instagram posts (276 CAFWCL, 398 CAFCL) and conducted semi-structured interviews with five digital sports professionals, including CAF digital leads. The Model of Athlete Branding via Social Media (MABI) was adapted to the competition level to assess how federations craft engagement across gendered contexts.

Findings show that behind-the-scenes and off-the-pitch content generate the strongest engagement, while promotional posts underperform. Reels consistently drive higher interaction than other formats, aligning with platform algorithm trends. In contrast, marketing orientation had no significant effect, reinforcing that emotional resonance and storytelling matter more than post labels. Interviews also identified key challenges: a male-skewed audience, algorithmic pressure, and a lack of female voices in content creation.

This study expands the literature on gendered digital branding and engagement in sports by offering an adapted MABI framework for team and federation branding. It provides strategic recommendations for building inclusive, authentic, and platform-optimized content to enhance the growth and visibility of women’s football in Africa.

School

School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Department

Journalism & Mass Communication Department

Degree Name

MA in Journalism & Mass Communication

Graduation Date

Summer 6-15-2025

Submission Date

5-26-2025

First Advisor

Yousra Bakr

Committee Member 1

Hesham Dinana

Committee Member 2

Jailan Elbous

Committee Member 3

Ahmed Taher

Extent

217p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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