If you have the slightest interest in football you’ll probably be aware of the recent misfortunes of Arsenal FC.
4 points from 5 games, a goal difference of –8, a defence forged from clowns and a current position on the cusp of the relegation zone. The list goes on but it’s safe to say things couldn’t be going much worse for the North London club.
Image via Flickr
But Arsenal fans may take a slither of hope in the fact that they are at least winning something – the social media league.
A report released today by Braveheart Sports Network has revealed that Arsenal, as well as Manchester United are topping the table when it comes to the most popular clubs on social media, in terms of Twitter followers and Facebook fans.
Arsenal’s official Twitter account has an impressive 890,500 followers, almost double that of it’s closest competitor, Liverpool, which has 452,600 followers.
Here’s how the other Premier League clubs line up:
Arsenal @Arsenal – 890,548
Aston Villa @AVFCofficial – 24,128
Blackburn @RoversOneRovers – 7,562
Bolton @WanderersofficialBWFC – 8,600
Chelsea @FCChelseaFC – 360,770
Everton @FCYourEverton – 22,875
Fulham @FCFulhamFC – 21,278
Liverpool @FCLFC – 452,633
Manchester @CityMCFC – 100,849
Manchester United – NA
Newcastle @UnitedNUFCofficial – 27,255
Norwich City @NorwichCityFC – 15,507
Queens Park @RangersofficialQPR – 11,241
Stoke City @officialSCFC – 12,486
Sunderland @SAFCofficial – 21,536
Swansea City – NA
Tottenham @HotspurSpursOfficial – 86,045
West Bromwich AlbionWBAFCofficial – 2,829
Wigan @Athleticlaticsofficial – 5,572
Wolverhampton @WanderersOfficialWolves – 15,175
There’s an obvious absentee from that list – Manchester United, who are one of only two Premiership clubs not to have a Twitter account, which is surprising considering the scale of the club and the massive number of “supporters” around the world.
However, it seems that the Manchester uber-brand is putting efforts in to another social channel – Facebook, and it seems to be working. The club is approaching 19 million fans which is more than double than that of Arsenal or Chelsea – it’s two closest competitors on the site.
Liverpool are fourth in the Facebook fan race, confirming the pattern of big club = big following. Typically, the four clubs have been top four finishers in the Premier League over the past 10 years.
Here’s a list of all Premier League clubs along with number of Facebook fans:
Arsenal – 7,468,412
Aston Villa – 237,929
Blackburn Rovers – 21,685
Bolton Wanderers – 8,046
Chelsea FC – 7,105,805
Everton FC – 176,960
Fulham FC – 46,194
Liverpool FC – 6,987,037
Manchester City – 990,646
Manchester United – 18,898,397
Newcastle United – 187,104
Norwich City – 9,588
Queens Park Rangers – 21,483
Stoke City – 33,788
Sunderland – 28,614
Swansea City – 19,699
Tottenham Hotspur – 786,226
West Bromwich Albion – 9,958
Wigan Athletic – 4,143
Wolverhampton Wanderers – 22,617
So no real surprises there in terms of the clubs with the biggest social media following, but like all things social, number of followers only tells part of the story. Yes, Arsenal may be top of the Twitter league when it comes to followers, but we’re guessing that a bit of recent sentiment analysis would soon see Arsenal way down in the relegation zone.
There may well be a different story for Manchester City too. The super-rich club may have a modest following but with so many big-money transfer moves, dream team like status and general press attention, they’re sure to be up there in the ‘social buzz’ rankings.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and your feelings towards the social media efforts your club is (or isn’t) making.
Think you know your football? Head over to www.browsermedia.co.uk/2011/07/29/what-is-your-ultimate-fantasy/ and test your skills in the Browser Media fantasy football league. It’s not too late to join and there’s a great prize up for grabs for the winner!
