Social media helps fans keep track of players

Even when we lose matches, we show the fans these videos so that they understand how hard the players are working hard to improve their performances. Thereby the fans will be able to understand that the players are on a mission. This will take pressure off the players’ heads and they will be able to stay positive and work towards their game plan Steven Jones England Cricket Board’s Digital Content Editor

Years ago, whenever there was a cricket match we all used to be hooked to a radio, keeping track of the events on the field. Then came the television which more or less revolutionised the spectators’ viewing habits. Now it’s the social media which has moved the excitement to a higher level. It has more or less made the stakeholder’s engagement phenomenally addictive.

Since the maiden cricket World Cup in 1975, all the top Test cricketing nations have got millions of cricket fans alter their schedule to relish the game worldwide in unison. It is a cricket festival whenever there are events like the World Cups, important Test series or ODI and IPL games.The dedicated cricket follower, who follows each ball, takes stock of each miss as each run is a statistic and each delivery an opportunity for him.

This concept was adopted by the English team as they roped the social media professionals, who are now travelling with the team, to post their day to day activities. This is the latest trend. Speaking to this writer at the Sharjah cricket stadium on the sidelines of the England Vs Pakistan, a two-day practice match, Steven Jones, the English team’s social media professional and the England cricket board’s digital content editor, said that the social media is playing a key role in enhancing the wide range of fan following and thereby boosting the performance of players.

“Yesterday Stuart Broad took an excellent catch but unfortunately there is no live telecast. However, we posted his videos and content on social media sites and immediately got more than a 1,000 responses. This will surely boost a player’s confidence,” he said. Steven says, “We are uploading practice sessions of individual players. It’s about how hard they are working out on specific goals.

This is something which the normal media doesn’t have access to. Even when we lose matches, we show the fans these videos so that they understand how hard the players are working hard to improve their performances. Thereby the fans will be able to understand that the players are on a mission. This will take pressure off the players’ heads and they will be able to stay positive and work towards their game plan.”

Steven says the challenge for them is to prioritise their content. “Some many things will be happening on the ground simultaneously and hence we need to plan and prioritise the various activities. We cannot reveal team secrets as such, and, hence, have to be alert about which content to upload,” he added. Steven, who started working with the English team since the last two months, said that the key thing is to connect the people with social media and post updates and upload information and thereby increase the number of fans.

“The social media outreach and the overall engagement of viewers in cricket has become crucial in boosting confidence of a team or succumbing to the pressure of the masses,” he said. Aggregating shared opinion on social sites is a key to highlighting the expectations, generating perceived predictions about the teams, potential wins, most popular players etc.

By C S Sudhaker