Subject: Social Media in Sport
Shamrock Rovers top social media table in Airtricity Premier League
Shamrock Rovers account for more than a third of Airtricity Premier League facebook fans and over 20 per cent of twitter followers of the twelve club’s official social media channels.
With teams and players back in pre season training the numbers are sure to rise but already League fans number just short of those who follow the Guinness Irish rugby Challenge on facebook.
The results are published today by Sport for Business. This is the first in a series on social media and sport in Ireland by the new professional network for leaders in sport and business.
“Sports fans are ahead of the game in harvesting information though social media,” said Sport for Business CEO Rob Hartnett. “These channels are a critical part of any clubs engagement with those they hope to attract through the turnstiles or into the merchandising net.”
On a global scale the ability of Man United and Barcelona to enhance loyalty and make themselves more attractive to investors and commercial partners means their sites run to millions of followers. United have 22 million fans, Real Madrid 24 million and Barcelona 26 million.
“In Ireland things are obviously at a more modest scale but over the coming months we will see more clubs and sporting organisations tapping into the digital media of today and tomorrow,” added Hartnett. “They need to build value with commercial partners who will look on these numbers as an indicator of the fan engagement.”
“In the Airtricity Premier League, Shamrock Rovers are sitting at the top of the charts in many ways. Reigning Champions with the largest crowds and biggest supporter base, they have worked this through to social media through having more than three times the number of fans as their nearest rivals Sligo Rovers.”
“In terms of Twitter followers the gap is slightly smaller but the number of tweets gives a clear indication of how hard the club is willing to work at building and maintaining the loyalty of its 5,620 followers.”
“The Tweet count of 13,355 is impressive and compares to a mere 90 tweets from Drogheda united whose twitter fan base is the smallest in the League.”
“UCD’s numbers have perhaps the greatest potential to grow, given the likely student base of support and familiarity with the media. Their numbers will be interesting to watch in the coming months as they seek to climb out of the Social Media relegation spots in our league table.”
Club                      Facebook Likes       Twitter Followers        Tweets
Shamrock Rovers       21738                        5620                     13355
Sligo Rovers                  6502                        2973                       5239
Cork City                        6282                        3539                       4714
Bray Wanderers             4551                       1064                         312
Derry City                        4116                       2798                       3383
Bohemians                      4103                       1109                         470
Drogheda United             3034                         551                           90
Dundalk                           2946                       2058                       6016
St Patricks Athletic          2865                       1546                       2641
Shelbourne                      2094                       1087                       2804
UCD                                 1473                         822                         901
Monaghan United               106                         975                       1918
About Sport for Business

Sport for Business was launched in December 2011. Its aim is to build bridges between sport and business in Ireland through finding showcasing and developing new ways that the two can work together.
Accenture, Ulster Bank, Mason Hayes and Curran, O2 and Dermot Desmond are among the early supporters of the subscription based initiative. It was founded by Rob Hartnett, former Managing Director of BETDAQ and Public Affairs Director of the Tote in Britain.
www.sportsforbusiness2.ab6z.com
Further Information:
Rob Hartnett M: +353 86 3851955 T: @HartnettRob E: rob@sportsforbusiness2.ab6z.com