The player of the match post is one of the highest-engagement formats in grassroots cricket social media. A well-built MOTM graphic can generate more reach than a standard fixture or result post, because it names a specific person and their family and friends are motivated to share it.
But it is also the format where clubs most often make avoidable mistakes. This post gives you a framework for deciding what to include on every MOTM graphic, with separate guidance for adult and junior cricket.
The five fields every MOTM graphic needs
There are five fields that appear on every good player of the match graphic. These are the non-negotiables. Everything else is optional and should be evaluated against the clutter test (more on that below).
Field 1: player name. Full name for adult cricket. First name and year group only for junior cricket (see the Safe Hands section below). The name is the largest text element on the graphic.
Field 2: the performance. One line that captures what the player did. Keep it specific: 87 not out is better than "great knock". 4 for 12 is better than "good bowling". If there are two standout performances (for example, a century and a hat-trick in the same match), the captain or coach decides which to feature. Do not try to feature both on one graphic.
Field 3: the opposition. Always include the opposition name. This provides context for the performance and makes the graphic meaningful to anyone who was not at the match.
Field 4: the club crest or name. The graphic should be unmistakably yours. The crest or club name should appear in the corner or footer of the image.
Field 5: the date or competition. Either the date of the match or the competition name (for example, "Division 2, Round 12" or " cup semi-final"). This anchors the performance to a specific fixture and helps the graphic age well in the feed.
The decision tree: should this element go on the graphic?
When you are deciding whether to add something to the MOTM graphic, run it through this simple test: does this element celebrate the player's performance, or does it celebrate something else? If it celebrates something else (a sponsor, the league, a milestone), it belongs in the caption, not on the graphic.
Quote from the player. Use only if the quote captures something the stat line cannot. A captain describing a match-winning innings under pressure is a good use of a quote. "Well done lads" is not. For junior cricket, do not use quotes from players under 18 without explicit written consent from a parent or guardian.
Career statistics. Leave career stats off the MOTM graphic. This format is about one performance, not a player's overall record. A career milestone (first century, 100th wicket) can be mentioned in the caption instead.
Sponsor logos. These are acceptable on MOTM graphics if the club has an agreement with the sponsor that covers social media use. One sponsor logo, in a small and unobtrusive position, is fine. Two or more logos begin to crowd the design.
Club crest. Always include it. The crest grounds the graphic in the club's identity and makes it recognisable when shared in league or county group chats.
Junior cricket and the Safe Hands guidance
ECB Safe Hands is the ECB's safeguarding framework for cricket clubs in England and Wales. For social media posts involving players under 18, Safe Hands recommends a minimal approach to personal information on public-facing graphics.
For a junior MOTM graphic, the Safe Hands compliant version uses first name and year group only. The caption on the post can carry the full name, but the graphic itself should not. The reasoning is straightforward: a graphic that shows only a first name and a performance stat achieves the recognition purpose without creating a publicly accessible record that links a child's full name to their image and their club.
Performance detail is fine on a junior MOTM graphic. "Harry, Year 7, 3 for 8" is Safe Hands compliant. "Harry Smith, 3 for 8, member of the under-13 team" is not, because it combines a full name with age information and a team identifier in a publicly shareable format.
Parents can consent to more information being shared, and some clubs have a general media consent form that covers social media use. If your club has such a form and the parent has consented, you can use the full name on the graphic. Default to the Safe Hands compliant version unless you have clear consent.
What makes a MOTM graphic feel cluttered
The most common design failure on MOTM graphics is trying to say too much. The best MOTM posts follow a simple structure: here is who played well, here is what they did, here is who they played against. That is the complete message.
Cluttered MOTM graphics typically suffer from one of four problems. The player name is too small because the club has added a results summary, a league table, a sponsor message, a quote, and a results update, all in the same 1080 by 1080 image. The text is too small to read on a phone screen. The background image (often a photograph of the player) is too busy and makes the text hard to read. The design uses more than three colours and loses its visual hierarchy.
The fix for all four problems is the same: remove elements until the hierarchy is clear. The player name should be readable at a glance. The performance stat should be the next most prominent element. Everything else should be small enough that it does not compete with those two fields.
When to post the MOTM graphic
Post the MOTM graphic as soon as possible after the match, ideally within two to three hours of the result being known. The engagement on a MOTM post is highest in the 24 hours after the match, and it drops sharply after that window closes.
If you are managing social media manually, decide before the match who is responsible for the MOTM nomination. The captain or senior player can text or WhatsApp the name and stat to whoever handles social media before they leave the ground. This prevents the delay that causes clubs to post the MOTM graphic the following morning, when most of the relevant audience has already moved on.
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