35% of English fans feel closer to clubs and players thanks to Twitter

35% of English fans said they felt closer to clubs and players since they began following them on Twitter, according to the study "IMG Consulting Fan Commitment" released on 14/05/2014 and produced by IMG Consulting, an American sports marketing consultant, and the sports marketing research company Repucom. The rate reached 40% for English fans aged 16-29 years old, and 63% of this age group "liked" at least a Facebook page related to football (a club, athlete or brand), versus 34% of 50-64 year-olds.

44% of 16-29 year-olds followed at least one Twitter account in connection with football, versus 15% of 50- to 64-year-olds. On the day of a match, Twitter is consulted on average 8.4 times and Facebook, 5 times. 40% of fans use Twitter to follow the results and statistics of matches. 80% of fans follow the accounts of sports media outlets (TV, radio, and internet) and sportswriters.

33% of English fans follow the sport on social networks for their immediacy; Facebook (69%) is the most used social network, followed by YouTube (55%), Twitter (46%), Google (29%) and Instagram (7%)…