In the second of our series of four articles on the performance of irish Sport on social media last month we are focusing on Facebook

This data is supplied by our partners Olytico.

Read about our introduction to this month and the detail from Irish sporting bodies on X

 

 

February 2026 Highlights on Facebook

 

 

Overview

Facebook activity increased by 3% in February to 4,131 posts, while engagements rose from January by 13% to 689,781.

Once again we are comparing these figures to those of 2025 and 2024.  And Facebook is continuing a trend over recent months of bouncing back in popularity.  2025 saw a precipitous fall from 963,131 engagements in the same month in 2024 to 533,590 last year.

This means a year on year increase of 30 per cent for a channel that many had seen as having been overtaken.

The growth has come from outside the biggest sports as well.  Irish Rugby’s engagement per post dropped from 3,597 to 2,623, but that was balanced by increases from 242 to 1,175 for Ulster Rugby, 324 to 834 for Cricket Ireland, 42 to 735 for Team Ireland, boosted by the Winter Olympics, and increases as well for four of the other top six in the engagement chart.

 

Specific Highlights

 

The NIFL (633, +20%) topped the Facebook activity charts for the fourth month in a row as Crusaders’ Finley Thorndike continued to showcase his silky skills in a follow-up to last month’s highlights.

In second, the League of Ireland (586, +66%) saw Jack Byrne ‘welcome’ James McClean to the league, and in third, the GAA (405, +2%) showcased Cian Scully’s absolute masterclass in defensive effort.

 


The Camogie Account (78, +179%) announced a new partnership, which will see Centra backing the sport as the new title sponsor of the Centra Camogie Leagues.

Team Ireland (57, +171%) represented on the world stage as Thomas Maloney Westgård and Anabelle Zurbay flew the flag for Team Ireland at the Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony in Predazzo and Cortina, with Ben Lynch and Cormac Comerford walking in the parade in Livigno.

Swim Ireland (52, +148%) saw Matthew Hamilton break the first Irish Record of 2026 as he set a new Irish Junior Record of 24.42 in the 50m Butterfly at the Euro Meet Luxembourg.

 


Irish Rugby (2,613, +98%) topped the engagement per post charts, and they were followed by Ulster Rugby (1,175, +143%) as they highlighted the herculean effort of Stuart McCloskey to chase down England’s Marcus Smith at Allianz Stadium, and Cricket Ireland (834, +74%) as they brought us all the action from the T20 World Cup.

 

Sport Ireland (72, +76%) launched their #sameenergy campaign ahead of Women in Sport Week.

and Golf Ireland (106, +71%) saw the Women’s Team make it three from three to reach the Women’s Octagonal Final in Spain .

 


Squash Ireland (2,231) once again topped the average engagements per 1,000 followers metric as the Irish contingent took to the centre court in Hamburg at the German Junior Open.

 

Irish Rugby’s post-match behind the scenes changing room shots from Allianz Stadium was the most engaged with content on Facebook in February as the Men’s Guinness Six Nations campaign came to life spectacularly in London – the post has generated over 25,000 public engagements to date.

 

 

X Analysis – Wednesday AM
Facebook Analysis – Wednesday PM
Instagram Analysis – Thursday AM
TikTok Analysis – Thursday PM

 

If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and be added to the list, email us today and let’s see what is possible. If you would like a more detailed analysis of your social media activity, contact ross@olytico.com

Image Credit: Sport for Business

 

ABOUT SPORT FOR BUSINESS

Sport for Business is Ireland’s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport. It connects decision-makers across governing bodies, clubs, brands, agencies and public institutions through high-quality content, events and insight. Sport for Business explores how sport drives economic value, participation, inclusion and national identity, and how your story can be part of ours.

Through analysis, storytelling and convening the sector, it helps leaders understand trends, share best practice and make better-informed decisions. Its work positions sport not just as entertainment, but as a vital contributor to Ireland’s social and economic fabric.

Find out more about becoming a member today.

Or sign up for our twice-daily bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover.

Sign up for our News Bulletins here.

Upcoming Events