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Designing Sports Data Visuals: Templates for Publishers Using Premier League Stats

UUnknown

2026-02-26

10 min read

Turn Premier League and FPL stats into reusable, brandable infographic, story and social templates publishers can edit and sell.

Turn your Premier League stats into reusable, brandable assets — fast

If you publish match previews, FPL advice or weekly roundups, you already face the same pain: raw Premier League and Fantasy Premier League numbers are dense, inconsistent and hard to reuse across platforms. You need visuals that are quick to edit, on-brand, and proven to boost engagement. This guide hands you a library of ready-made, data-driven templates — infographics, story slides, and social cards — plus the exact design patterns and marketplace tactics to sell or license them to other publishers and creators in 2026.

Why data-driven visuals matter in 2026

By late 2025 and into 2026 publishers went all-in on concise, updatable graphics: short-form social, live story slides during matchdays, and modular cards embedded in articles. Two big trends power this shift:

Live & automated data feeds: mainstream access to Opta/Stats Perform, Premier League feeds and community FPL APIs has made it easier to automate visuals.
Design-as-code and componentized templates: Figma components plus lightweight HTML/SVG templates let designers and devs ship branded assets faster than ever.

What publishers and creators need — and what templates solve

Publishers want three things from sports data design:

Speed: create matchday visuals within minutes
Brand consistency: assets must adapt to different editorial voices
Reusability & monetization: templates that can be sold or licensed

Templates are the bridge: a well-built FPL template becomes a publisher asset you update every week with a CSV or a single API call, producing shareable story slides or social cards without re-designing.

Template types that drive publisher value

Below are production-ready template types — each includes a purpose, data inputs, design pattern and suggested file formats.

1. Matchday Snapshot (Infographic)

Purpose: Single-image preview for a fixture — ideal for articles and shareable social posts.

Key inputs: fixture, expected lineup, injuries, xG last 5 matches, head-to-head, FPL ownership %
Design pattern: two-column team panels, center KPI bar (score probability & xG), footer with expert pick
Formats: Figma file (components), export PNG/JPEG, responsive SVG for web

2. FPL Captain Picks (Story Slides)

Purpose: Multi-slide Instagram/IG Stories/X story deck for captain suggestions and alternative differentials.

Key inputs: top scorers, form (last 4), fixture difficulty rating (FDR), ownership %, price changes
Design pattern: sequence of 5–7 slides — Hook (who to captain), Why (data), Alternative picks, Differential, Quick transfers
Formats: Figma components with auto-layout, export 1080×1920 PNG; optional HTML story engine for live updates

Purpose: Pairwise comparison: why one forward outperforms another in returns & underlying metrics.

Key inputs: goals/90, xG/90, shots/90, non-penalty xG, expected assists
Design pattern: split-card with radar chart or bars plus verdict and share CTA
Formats: Figma & SVG + prebuilt Chart.js JSON for in-browser rendering

4. Injury & Team News Board (Editorial Graphic)

Purpose: Up-to-date injury list for matchday articles and live blogs.

Key inputs: injury status, estimated return, last match played, FPL availability
Design pattern: tabular card with colour-coded status chips (Out, Doubt, Available)
Formats: HTML embed (ARIA accessible table) + PNGs for social

5. Weekly Round-up Carousel (Multi-Platform)

Purpose: Recap best players, biggest upsets, price movers for newsletter, carousel or TikTok slides.

Key inputs: gameweek points leaders, most-owned transfers, highest differential points
Design pattern: modular 6-card carousel — each card a single stat with a bold number and micro insight
Formats: Figma components, PNG batch export, vertical video templates for repurposing

Design system: build templates that scale

A template is only valuable when it’s consistent, editable and fast to update. Use this mini design system checklist to make templates marketplace-ready.

Design tokens: establish color variables for teams, statuses (injury/doubt), CTA colors, and neutral backgrounds.
Component library: player card, KPI chip, lineup grid, chart wrapper — each component should be resizable and independent.
Typography scale: H1 for scorelines, H3 for player name, micro for metrics — provide web-safe fallbacks.
Data mapping guide: a README showing CSV/API fields and example payloads (match_id, player_id, minutes, xG, ownership).
Export presets: story (1080×1920), square (1200×1200), leader image (1600×900), SVG with viewBox for embedding.

Data workflows: from raw feed to polished template

Reliable visuals start with a repeatable pipeline. Here are three workflow patterns depending on your resources.

Low-effort — CSV + Figma

Use weekly CSV exports (FPL or matchday summary) and a Figma plugin (CSVImporter) to populate text layers.
Good for solo creators or small newsrooms. Manual but low-cost.

Mid-effort — Google Sheets + Zapier + Figma

Connect a public API (or manual entry) to Google Sheets. Zapier pushes updates to Figma or to a script that generates PNGs.
Schedules mean you can prep matchday assets the night before and push live updates during the day.

High-effort — API -> Serverless -> HTML/SVG

Ingest Opta/Stats Perform or official Premier League feeds into a serverless function (AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers).
Render templates server-side to SVG/PNG or client-side with D3/Chart.js. Use caching and edge CDN to keep latency low.
This approach supports dynamic embeds and personalization (e.g., show data for the viewer’s favourite team).

Chart choices & microcopy — what actually communicates

Pick charts that match the question. Fans don’t need every stat; they need a short narrative.

Trend bars (form over last 5): immediate sense of momentum.
Small multiples (players): compare players using identical scales.
Donut / gauge: perfect for ownership% or captain votes.
Heatmap SVG: use sparingly — great for premium assets showing positional influence or xG zones.

Microcopy rules: use a one-line headline (the verdict), a single supporting sentence, and a three-point stat list. Keep tone concise and editorial — readers prefer a strong opinion with data to back it.

Branding & accessibility

Templates must be adaptable to publisher brand kits and accessible for all users.

Provide color swaps: team palettes and a high-contrast mode for accessibility.
Include alt-text suggestions and ARIA for any HTML/SVG template.
Offer light/dark variants; social platforms increasingly surface dark-mode previews.

Monetization & marketplace strategy (for sellers)

If you plan to list templates on a marketplace or sell directly to publishers, follow marketplace best practices that worked through 2025 into 2026.

Listing essentials

High-quality mockups: show each template used in context (article hero, story, Instagram grid).
Live demo: include a working HTML/SVG demo with sample data so buyers can preview dynamic behavior.
Clear docs: provide a single-page setup guide for both non-technical and developer buyers.
Licensing tiers: personal, editorial, and enterprise with usage limits and white-label options.

Pricing & packaging

2026 market trends favor flexible pricing:

Single-template price: mid-range for creators (~$15–$40) depending on complexity.
Bundles: seasonal packages (Matchday + Captain + Injury Board) increase AOV and are preferred by publishers.
Subscription: licensing for newsrooms providing weekly updates — includes support and versioning.

SEO & discovery for your listing

Use keyword-rich titles and tags: include sports data design, Premier League visualizations, FPL templates, and infographic templates. Provide short demo videos and use journalistic wording for trust (e.g., "match-ready, editor-approved").

Packaging details that reduce buyer friction

Include dummy data files (CSV/JSON) and a mapping sheet.
Provide transparent compatibility notes — Figma only, Figma + HTML, or full-stack (API-ready).
Offer a one-page troubleshooting FAQ: common import errors, font fallbacks, and recommended export settings.

Case study: How a local publisher reused templates for matchweek growth (example)

Scenario: A regional sports site needed faster match previews and more social traction. They bought a 3-template bundle (Matchday Snapshot, Injury Board, FPL Captain Slides) and implemented a Google Sheets automation to load weekly data.

Before: 1 long-form preview per match with no social repurposing.
After: 3 social posts + a story slide deck per fixture, with templated thumbnails for newsletters.
Results (first 8 weeks): 32% uplift in Instagram shares, 18% higher article CTR from social, and time-to-publish reduced by 60%.

This shows the real-world value of reusable templates: they turn a heavy editorial process into a predictable content product.

Advanced strategies: personalization, automation & future-proofing

For publishers who want to level up, these techniques are increasingly standard in 2026.

Personalized embeds: let users see assets filtered to their club — requires lightweight query params and serverless rendering.
Real-time updating cards: integrate push updates from live match APIs to refresh scoreline/xG cards during fixtures.
Design tokens & developer handoff: export tokens (color, spacing, fonts) and a component library (React/Vue) so devs can implement templates as live widgets.
Analytics hooks: embed UTM templates and a click tracker in downloadable assets so sellers can show value to enterprise buyers.

Legal & data considerations

When working with Premier League or FPL data, confirm your commercial rights with the data provider. Use aggregated public sources for basic stats and obtain enterprise feeds or licensing for official or proprietary metrics.

Checklist: what to include in every template listing

Preview images in context (desktop, story, mobile)
One-click demo with sample data
CSV/JSON dummy files and mapping guide
Compatibility notes and required plugins/fonts
License options and clear refund/support policy

Editors: sell the time you save. Creators: sell the trust you build. Templates convert both into recurring value.

Practical templates you can build this week — step-by-step

Build a Matchday Snapshot (60–90 minutes)

Create a 1600×900 artboard in Figma with two team panels.
Make components: team crest, player row, KPI chip, form bars.
Set up design tokens for colors and spacing.
Prepare CSV columns: home_team, away_team, date, home_xG, away_xG, key_injuries, fpl_ownership_home.
Import sample CSV with a Figma plugin and map to text layers.
Export PNG & SVG and create three mockups (article hero, Instagram square, Tweet image).

Make it dynamic (next level)

Export the Figma layout as SVG with placeholders and build a small Node.js script to inject JSON values into the SVG.
Host the script as a serverless function and provide a demo URL for buyers to preview with different fixtures.

Actionable takeaways

Start with 3 templates that cover matchday, captain picks and injuries — they hit every publisher use-case.
Use Figma components + CSV import to make quick, editable assets for non-technical editors.
Offer a live demo and dummy data in every marketplace listing to reduce purchase friction.
Bundle and price for publishers — consider subscription licensing for recurring revenue.
Invest in small automation (sheets -> image) to save hours every matchweek and prove ROI.

Why this matters now

In 2026 the attention economy singles out clarity and speed. Sports fans expect instant, shareable insights. Publishers that convert complex Premier League and FPL stats into clear, brandable templates win reach, time and revenue. The technical barriers have fallen — design tooling and accessible APIs let you ship products that other publishers will want to reuse.

Next steps — ready-to-use template checklist

Create one Matchday Snapshot and one FPL Captain Slide this week
Publish a marketplace listing with demo and CSV files
Run one A/B test: article hero vs article hero + shareable social card
Measure time-to-publish and social CTR for four matchweeks and iterate

Final note & call-to-action

Templates transform editorial effort into scalable assets. Whether you’re a solo creator, influencer or newsroom, start small—build a single dynamic template, prove its impact, then productize. If you want a starter package designed for publishers (Figma + HTML demo + CSV mapping), download our free Matchday Pack or contact our team for a white-label bundle tailored to your brand.

Ready to turn Premier League stats into sellable, reusable templates? Grab the Matchday Pack, test it during the next fixture and watch how repeatable design turns into recurring reach and revenue.

Unknown

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.