Start Simple

You do not need to build everything on day one. A solid first launch usually has these parts:

A Good First Setup

1. Create the homepage

Go to Pages and create your main page first.

• Use a preset if you want a fast starting point.
• Keep the first version simple: scores, one or two supporting modules, and latest news.
• Do not try to solve every layout decision on the first pass.

2. Create the news index page

Create a regular page with a simple base slug such as news.

This page works as your article hub. It is where visitors browse published stories, category pages, and archives.

3. Create the article page

In Pages, create one page and set its page type to Article.

This page is not a single article. It is the shared article layout used for all news posts. Use it to decide things like:

• whether articles show breadcrumbs
• whether you want share buttons near the story
• what modules appear around the article body
• how much supporting content you want in sidebars

4. Add the dynamic templates you actually need

For most sports sites, the core templates are:

• Match
• Team
• League
• Player

You do not need to perfect all four before your first test, but you should set them up before public launch if visitors will browse scores, teams, or competitions.

Typical starter layouts:

• Match: match header, events, lineups, stats, standings context
• Team: team header, fixtures, squad, team stats
• League: league header, standings, fixtures, top scorers
• Player: player header, player stats, recent matches

5. Configure the global layout

Open Settings -> Global regions and fill the site-wide areas that repeat across the site:

• Topbar
• Below Header
• Above Footer
• Bottom Bar

This is the right place for things like:

• main menu
• social links
• compact score widgets
• sponsor or promo blocks
• footer navigation

6. Set menus and social links

Before launch, make sure visitors can move around the site easily.

• In Menus, create the navigation you want in header and footer.
• In Settings -> Social, add the public profile URLs you want to expose in modules like social-links.

7. Publish a first article and test modules inside it

When you write a news post, the rich editor can insert modules directly inside the article body through the Modules button.

That is useful for:

• a live match block inside a preview article
• a standings widget inside a league story
• a player card inside a profile piece
• an odds or CTA block inside commercial content

Article pages can therefore contain modules in two different places:

• around the article, from the shared Article page layout
• inside the article body itself, using shortcodes inserted from the editor

Recommended Launch Check

Before you consider the site ready, verify these basics:

• Homepage is saved and looks correct on desktop and mobile.
• News index page exists and opens with the expected URL.
• Article page exists and published news posts use it.
• Main sports templates are in place for the entity pages you care about.
• Header and footer navigation are filled.
• Social links are configured.
• At least one article has been published and reviewed on the public site.

Next Steps