First ever Sport Social Media Index rates digitally savvy sports clubs

Sports clubs around the UK might just start upping their social media game, as the first ever index ranking professional British football, rugby and cricket teams according to their social media performance has been launched.

The Sport Social Media Index is a league table of 148 British professional football (English Premier League, Championship, Leagues One and Two; plus the SPL) rugby (Super League and Premiership) and cricket (County Championship Divisions One and Two) teams, ranked according to the best use of social media by their official club channels.

Spurs top the league, ahead of five other Premier League clubs, with League One’s Leyton Orient (3^rd) and rugby Super League’s Leeds Rhinos (5^th) notable inclusions.

Published annually, the table is compiled by measuring the performance of each team based not just on an algorithm, but research from a team of nine people who looked at eight social networks, as well as a panel of four judges who presided over the results.

Produced by PR and social media agency Umpf with partners William Hill, the Index was four months in the making and is a benchmark of social media success among professional British sports teams.

According to the judges, Spurs generated a strong data score with excellent levels of community engagement, offering a great breadth of social media channels which it used to their potential.

Amy Byard, Social Media Account Manager at Umpf said: “Spurs are worthy and clear winners of the first ever Sport Social Media Index, scoring consistently highly in judges’ comments and in the algorithm.

“The club understands clearly the importance of tailoring their content platform-by-platform to fit each of their social channels.

“They have strong video content, great archive imagery, they use Q&A sessions with the players well, and their unique, behind-the-scenes footage was another highlight – it’s no surprise that this content receives very high engagement as it taps into fans’ curiosities.”

Michael Sheehan, Social Media Customer Experience Manager at William Hill, said: “Tottenham deserved to be crowned this year’s winners as they have truly mastered the art of engaging with their fans on multiple platforms. Their content is fresh, engaging and resonates well with their supporters.

“Leeds Rhinos were another notable winner in their respective category as they have also demonstrated a clear understanding of social media. Their use of clever hashtags and stunning imagery has shown the importance of social media for educating and engaging with fans and potential supporters alike.”