How Backheeled presents independent soccer coverage with Tripoli

A sports publication has more than one kind of reader. Some arrive for the biggest story of the day. Others follow a particular league and want to go straight to its coverage. A reader discovering the site may need a few good articles before deciding whether to subscribe.

Backheeled brings those paths together on a website using Tripoli, the Ghost theme I make at Aspire Themes. It covers American soccer, including Major League Soccer, the United Soccer League and the US men’s national team. Its About page describes an independent publication primarily supported by paying subscribers, with some work available free.

Backheeled has its own branding and presentation. This is a walkthrough of its public website: how the stories are presented, where readers can go next, and what another sports publisher can learn from that arrangement.

Start with a lead story

Backheeled’s front page gives one story the largest image and headline. In the example below, it is an analysis of the USL Championship playoffs. A short description beneath the headline explains what the piece will cover.

The surrounding stories still have room. A report on two clubs folding sits to the left; recent coverage appears in a compact Latest column to the right. Readers can scan several headlines without every article competing for the same amount of space.

Follow a league

The navigation uses the subjects readers already follow: MLS, USL and USMNT. These are direct routes into league and national-team coverage, alongside a Resources link.

Opening USL brings up a dedicated archive. Club news, playoff analysis and recurring power rankings share the page. Each story carries its headline, author and date, so readers can choose a piece and see how recent it is.

The homepage also has separate league sections with See all links. Someone browsing the front page can sample that coverage; a regular USL reader can go directly to the archive. Both routes lead to the same body of work.

Keep older work visible

Not every useful article belongs in the latest-news list. Backheeled’s Editors’ Picks gives three selected pieces their own numbered row on the homepage.

This selection includes an examination of MLS spending, a piece about the USL’s business model and a profile of a young player. Their dates span more than a single news cycle. The section gives these articles a place on the front page even as newer reports appear elsewhere.

For a publication investing in reporting or detailed analysis, this is a useful distinction: the newest work and the work worth introducing to a new reader do not have to be the same selection.

Show what a subscription unlocks

Backheeled marks articles Free or Paid before readers open them. Its playoff analysis then provides a public opening before asking visitors to subscribe or log in.

Readers encounter the subject and some of the writing before reaching that decision. Existing subscribers have a sign-in route at the same point. Ghost handles membership access; the theme presents the article and subscription prompt.