Dear Young Folks: From Critic to Builder — A Lesson for Young Changemakers—Idris Animasaun

 Dear Young Folks: Stop Talking. Build.

For years, I was one of the loudest voices questioning the media structure around Shooting Stars Sports Club. I consistently argued that the club could do better in how it communicated, presented itself and connected with its supporters. I did not just make the argument privately; I said it publicly, sometimes quite loudly.

I remember a particular season when I openly disagreed someone for personally funding a player unveiling without sufficiently leveraging the creative capacity available within Ibadan. My argument was simple: if we have the talent around us, why not build capacity from within? Why continue looking outside when there are young people who can be given an opportunity to contribute?

Then, in March 2024, I received a call that changed my perspective.

You do more talking than doing.”

It was uncomfortable to hear, particularly because I knew there was some truth in it.

I had always believed I was demonstrating possibilities through my advocacy and previous attempts to contribute, but the reality was that it is easier to identify what is wrong with a system than to take responsibility for building something better. Resistance to collaboration, the limitations around volunteering and the frustrations that sometimes come with institutional structures had made criticism feel like the easier option.

That conversation became a mirror.

And we decided to execute.

From Criticism to Contribution

3SCFansTV did not begin with a large budget, a corporate office or a sophisticated production team. It started with an idea and a willingness to do the work.

The first photograph.
The first graphic.
The first reel.
The first matchday coverage.

Then another. And another.

By the end of the 2024/25 season, we had produced more than 2,000 creative outputs, while building a growing community around the club and creating opportunities for young creatives to participate in something bigger than themselves.

We pitched relentlessly.

We reached out to businesses, partners and potential sponsors. We knocked on doors within and outside Oyo State. We made presentations. We asked people to believe in an idea that was still evolving. We sought resources, built relationships, invested our own time and resources, and kept showing up even when the results were not immediately visible.

And perhaps most importantly, we created opportunities for people.

The Volunteers Became Part of the Story

One of the things I am most proud of about 3SCFansTV is not necessarily the number of followers, impressions or content pieces we have produced. It is the number of young people who have found a platform to learn, contribute, build portfolios, develop confidence and discover what they are capable of.

Some came as volunteers.

They came with different levels of experience, different backgrounds and different ambitions. But by being part of the process, they were exposed to photography, videography, graphics, social media management, matchday coordination, communication, branding and the discipline required to work as part of a team.

We didn’t just ask them to volunteer. We gave them something to build.

And as they grew, the project grew with them.

That is why I often say that the true investment in 3SCFansTV is not sitting on our social media pages. It is sitting in the people who have passed through the project and are better equipped because they did.

Changing How a Club Is Seen

The larger objective was always bigger than creating football content.

We wanted to change the way Shooting Stars was presented.

A football club is more than what happens on the pitch for 90 minutes. Its brand lives in its stories, its supporters, its history, its players, its community and the way the outside world perceives it.

3SCFansTV became one of the platforms through which that story could be told from the fans’ perspective.

In challenging the existing system, we also learnt how to operate within it. Boundaries became clearer. The mandate of 3SCFansTV became more defined. We were not trying to become the club’s official media department; we were building a strong, independent supporters-driven media platform that could complement the larger ecosystem while remaining faithful to its core identity.

What began as agitation eventually became a movement.

And movements require structure.

We had to professionalise. We had to learn about partnerships, sponsorship, content strategy, volunteer management, brand relationships and accountability. We had to understand that passion alone cannot sustain an organisation. Passion needs systems.

When Recognition Came

The most satisfying part of the journey was not simply being recognised.

It was knowing that the work had become visible enough to be recognised.

Shooting Stars’ media visibility improved. The club’s supporters became more organised and engaged. Our community grew. Partners began to see value in associating with the platform. We were able to contribute to the visibility of the club and its activities in ways that extended beyond matchdays.

And eventually, the work received institutional recognition, with Shooting Stars winning Media Team of the Season and the Best Supporters Club award last season.

Those recognitions belong to everyone who contributed to the journey.

To every volunteer who showed up when there was little or nothing to gain personally.

To every photographer who stood under the sun waiting for that one shot.

To every designer who worked late.

To every contributor who shared an idea.

To every partner who believed in us.

To every sponsor who saw beyond the numbers.

And to every supporter who liked, shared, commented, attended and encouraged us.

You are the reason this exists.

What It Has Done to Me

Personally, 3SCFansTV has changed me.

I have gone from being the young boy hawking jerseys around the stadium to someone who can walk into corporate spaces, sit across a table with executives, negotiate partnerships, present ideas and handle official communications.

That transformation did not happen because I suddenly became more talented.

It happened because I started doing.

Doing forced me to learn.

Doing exposed my weaknesses.

Doing introduced me to people who became mentors.

Doing taught me leadership.

Doing taught me that when you take responsibility for an idea, you must also take responsibility for its failures.

There were moments when I questioned the decision to keep going. There were moments when the financial and emotional cost felt disproportionate to the immediate reward. But every difficult season came with a lesson.

Today, when I look at what we have built, I don’t just see a media platform.

I see proof that young people can create institutions around ideas they believe in.

Dear Young Folks, Build Something

This is the part I want young people to take away from my story.

You will always find something wrong with the system.

You will identify poor leadership.
You will see missed opportunities.
You will criticise bad branding.
You will point out what government, organisations, clubs or institutions should be doing better.

And sometimes, you will be right.

But eventually, someone will ask you the question I was asked:

“What are you doing about it?”

That question can either offend you or transform you.

I chose the latter.

You may not have enough money. You may not have the right connections. You may not have institutional backing. You may even be told that what you are trying to do will not work.

Start anyway.

Start small.

Build with the resources available to you. Build people around you. Learn from those ahead of you. Accept mentorship. Create opportunities for others. Document your progress. Keep improving.

Because sometimes, the biggest contribution you can make to a broken system is not another criticism of what is wrong with it.

It is building a working alternative.

That is the lesson 3SCFansTV has taught me.

We started by asking why things could not be better.

Then we decided to become part of the answer.

Idris Animasaun
Creative Director, 3SCFansTV