News and social events

In addition to using word of mouth, SMS and posting notices in the clubrooms, most sporting clubs use their web presence to assist them to pass on the latest news or details of social events to their members, supporters and/or sponsors. . The two most popular online platforms for news and social events are:

• Social media, and in particular Facebook. Many clubs feel that social media has an immediacy about it that the club website does not have and that any message is more likely to be read (and sooner). One of the disadvantages of this is that if a lot of posting occurs then an important message may be scrolled off the immediate page, too quickly for people to read.

  • Although Twitter and Instagram are used by fewer clubs to post news items, they still form an important part of the way that many clubs notify their constituents about the latest news and club events. Instagram is mainly used to post images associated with these items.

• The club website is also a major tool used by clubs to post the latest news or details of events.

• A smaller number of clubs use other online means to notify members of the latest news, such as sending out newsletters by email or using accumulator applications such as Team App to do so.

Posting news and events on multiple platforms

Many clubs post news and details of social events onto more than one platform (the most common combination being Facebook and the club website). This means that they either have to take extra time to post the same content on more than one source, or find a way to post onto one platform and have the content linked automatically to the club's other platforms.

Preparing content

Many clubs struggle to prepare news items that are engaging and interesting for members, supporters and sponsors. For this you may wish to refer to the page in this guide on preparing content.