The IRFU is the first national sports governing body in Ireland to break the 1 million mark on social media and leads the way with engaging content for supporters.
Figures from Sportego show that Irish Rugby continues to perform strongly in the online world as the IRFU has become the first sporting body in Ireland to break the 1 million mark on social media.
On Facebook the Union’s official page has 525,795 followers, while @IrishRugby on Twitter has 480,979 followers.
Add in 120,000 followers on Instagram and over 250,000 YouTube views this year alone and Irish Rugby has some serious reach across the main social media platforms.
Speaking about the continued growth, Barry Cunningham, IRFU Digital Marketing Manager, said: “Our strategy has been to engage with supporters where they want to connect and to mix news, insight and fun content to develop their relationship with our teams.
“Just as important has been the underlying goal of turning fans into supporters and supporters into stakeholders by capitalising on this popularity to promote grassroots involvement – be that through our Aviva Mini Festivals, the ‘Give It A Try’ initiative aimed at girls or #Eat2Compete, our nutrition advice videos for young players.”
Trevor Keane, founder of Sportego, commented: “Since Sportego has begun tracking the social reach of Irish sporting organisations, we have been fascinated by the impact Irish Rugby has on Facebook and Twitter.
“Our business is about fan engagement and to see the IRFU become the first Irish sporting body to reach over 1 million reach across two platforms, with more to follow, is nothing short of spectacular. We look forward to tracking the next eight months and beyond to see what can be achieved.”
In a recent Ulster Bank Survey of Irish rugby supporters, 43% voted Luke Fitzgerald missing his golf shot in front of Rory McIlroy as their favourite social media moment from Irish Rugby in the last year.
A further 24% voted for this shot of Paul O’Connell at Alton Towers – surrounded by the backs he said were going shopping!
The IRFU won the inaugural Irish Sports Federation Social Media award in November for the #ShoulderToShoulder campaign that brought supporters on the Rugby World Cup journey and built the fan base in the lead up to and during the tournament.
The graph below from Sportego shows the rate of growth across facebook and twitter and that Irish RUgby is performing very well in the Social Six Nations.
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