The verdict in three sentences
Drupal 7 has had no official security support since January 2025: for a governing body with 180,000 members, every extra month on it is a risk of a breach and a personal data leak. A move to Next.js with a headless CMS costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, GBP 38,000 to 76,000 excl. VAT over 4 to 6 months, including GBP 7,000 to 13,000 for automated content migration. The make-or-break item is a 301 redirect plan covering all 12,000 URLs, without which the federation loses much of its organic traffic within weeks.
Why leave Drupal 7 now
The head of IT at a national sports governing body in London runs a site that has grown for twelve years: 12,000 pages of news, results, rules, club profiles and fixtures, around thirty contributed modules (some abandoned) and a custom theme nobody fully understands any more. Since end of life, security patches depend on paid vendors or no longer exist.
The risk is concrete. The site stores or displays data on members, club officials and referees. An exploited flaw means reporting to the ICO within 72 hours, crisis communications to 1,400 clubs and remediation costs often higher than the migration itself. Performance is a problem too: 5 to 7 seconds to load on mobile on Saturday evening, exactly when members check results.
Upgrading to Drupal 10 or 11 is an option, but it is already a rebuild: modules, theme and content all have to move. Many governing bodies therefore pick a headless architecture, with a fast Next.js front end and a modern CMS for editors.
| Option | 2026 cost (excl. VAT) | Benefits | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Drupal 7 extended support | GBP 5,000 to 13,000 a year | No immediate change | Defers the problem, debt grows |
| Migration to Drupal 10 or 11 | GBP 34,000 to 68,000 | Familiar ecosystem for the team | Theme and modules rewritten |
| Next.js with headless CMS | GBP 38,000 to 76,000 | Speed, security, front-end freedom | New CMS to learn |
| Turnkey SaaS platform | GBP 13,000 to 26,000 a year | Fast start | Limited customisation, lock-in |
Detailed budget for the Next.js migration
Cost depends mostly on the quality of the Drupal data: well-typed content or free text fields, clean taxonomies or duplicates, tidy attachments or scattered files. A 2 to 3 week audit at the start avoids nasty surprises.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Audit and content mapping | GBP 2,500 to 5,000 | Content types, modules, URLs, traffic |
| Design and component system | GBP 7,000 to 13,000 | Results, fixtures, club profiles |
| Next.js front-end build | GBP 15,000 to 30,000 | Static and incremental rendering |
| Automated content migration | GBP 7,000 to 13,000 | Export scripts, clean-up, import |
| 301 redirect plan (12,000 URLs) | GBP 2,500 to 5,000 | Mapping table, testing |
| Results and membership system integration | GBP 4,000 to 10,000 | API with the membership platform |
| Total project | GBP 38,000 to 76,000 | 4 to 6 months |
| Headless CMS | GBP 0 to 430 a month | Self-hosted open source or SaaS |
The headless CMS can be free (self-hosted Strapi or Payload) or cost up to about GBP 430 a month for a SaaS with several editors and environments. The choice depends on contributors: a federation whose regional associations publish their own news needs fine-grained roles and workflows.
The redirect plan is what saves SEO. Every old URL (for example /node/4521 or /news/2019/cup-final) must 301 to its new address. Pages with no equivalent go to the closest section, never all to the homepage. A scripted test of all 12,000 URLs before go-live is essential.
Mini case study
Tom, head of IT at a 180,000-member governing body, compares two scenarios. Staying on Drupal 7 with extended support costs GBP 10,000 a year, plus about GBP 7,000 a year of emergency fixes, so GBP 17,000, with no speed gain. Migrating to Next.js costs GBP 58,000 excl. VAT, plus GBP 250 a month for the CMS and GBP 1,000 a month for maintenance, or GBP 15,000 a year.
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Over five years: status quo = 5 × 17,000 = GBP 85,000, with an uncovered breach risk. Migration = 58,000 + 5 × 15,000 = GBP 133,000. The GBP 48,000 gap should be weighed against the upside: load time cut by 3 (from 6 to 2 seconds), so more page views for partners and sponsors. If the site sells GBP 2,000 a month of sponsor visibility and the audience lift supports a 30 % increase, that is GBP 600 a month, GBP 36,000 over five years, and the real gap falls to about GBP 12,000 for a secure, modern site.
FAQ
How much does a Drupal 7 to Next.js migration cost in 2026?
As a 2026 order of magnitude, budget GBP 38,000 to 76,000 excl. VAT for a 12,000-page site with results and club profiles. A 1,000 to 2,000 page site can move for GBP 17,000 to 30,000.
Will we lose our search rankings?
Not if the 301 plan covers every URL and titles and content are carried over. A temporary dip of 5 to 15 % over 4 to 8 weeks is common, then traffic recovers thanks to speed.
Why headless rather than Drupal 10?
Headless separates a fast, secure front end from the editors' back office. Drupal 10 suits a team that already knows Drupal well and wants a single tool.
How long does migration take?
Plan 4 to 6 months, including a 2 to 3 week audit. Go live outside the competitive season, for example in July.
What happens to member accounts?
They stay in the federation's membership platform, connected by API. The website does not need to store personal data, which reduces UK GDPR exposure.
Let's scope your project. We audit your Drupal 7, map your 12,000 URLs and propose a migration plan with go-live outside the playing season. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
