Do you stay up-to-date on the most recent news when it comes to sports? Are you a tech savvy person? Do you have a Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram? I answered yes to all of these questions. Ok, I will admit, I love sports (some say I love sports more than the average male). The social media world for sports has drastically changed over the past few years and it continues to change at a fast pace. Combined, the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have around 20 million “likes” on their Facebook pages. Last month, I was asked to fulfill the role as the Director of Sports Marketing for a local soccer club in town (Las Vegas, NV is where I call home). Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club has boys and girls teams between the ages of 5-18 years old. The main goal of the club is to increase their player count, but they are lacking a social media presence. Since it’s important to maintain a strong relationship with players, parents and fans…I created a Facebook page for the club. Updated information can be found by visiting the Facebook page (something they didn’t have before). Most sports fans watch ESPN for game highlights, so I decided to incorporate something similar. Each week, it’s my responsibility to profile a team (at random) and video tape and photograph their game. Then, the highlights are posted on YouTube and shared on the club’s Facebook page. My next goal is to create an Instagram account for the soccer club. With millions of users, Instagram is the perfect opportunity to show quick photos to our soccer audience. Instagram provides a great collage and gives the audience a better insight into our soccer club. I would like to utilize Instagram for photo contests since it’s easy to ask users to use a specific hashtag for the contest. It’s easy to search through pictures, ask other people to vote for their favorite pictures and pick a winner. The soccer club has a long ways to go when it comes to social media, but I think it’s moving in the right direction. Can’t wait to keep you all informed and connected on my journey.
Reference:
https://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-sports-fans_b18702
Much More Than The Box Score 
First, I’d like to point out your blog theme and how much I love it! I also use the same “sherbet” theme for my blog – it reminds me of summer! That is amazing how you’ve taken the Las Vegas soccer club and created a social media presence for these teams using more than one platform. A lot of times people get stuck in their old ways and don’t realize how important it is to stay on top of the latest technology. I’m sure your colleagues are happy to have you on their side when it comes to the social media aspect of the club! Have you found that the soccer club’s Facebook page has a lot of “likes”? Is there a way you could get the word out faster about these social media platforms? I’m sure the parents would love to keep up on their children’s activities!
Hi Andrea,
Thank you for your comment. The Facebook page has a lot of likes. We are at nearly 550 likes. We are second in likes compared to all of the soccer clubs in Southern Nevada and I have only been the Director of Sports Marketing for about a month. I have e-mailed the parents, players, coaches and staff and asked them to like the page. Word of mouth has also proved to be a successful tool. Recently, we had about 10 athletes signed their Letter of Intent. I posted this on our Facebook page and it generated about 100 likes and several shares. So far, everything has been successful. I am definitely using the tools I have learned at SNHU in my professional job.
Nicole,
I think you are on the right track on your quest to get the club out there on social media. One thing I would suggest is getting the kids involved. My daughter plays club soccer in Ohio and everyone of the girls have an Instagram account that they post pictures to. If you get the kids, the parents will follow to see what they are up to.