Manchester City take a step closer to the ‘Social Media Stadium’

Manchester City revealed on Twitter this afternoon that they have taken a step closer to optimising theEtihad Stadium for Social Media. A photo tweeted from the official @MCFC account shows what appears to be a TV screen in the stadium concourse displaying tweets from the #BlueView hashtag. Fans can presumably tweets using the hashtag and have a chance of their tweets being displayed throughout the stadium during tomorrows game against Norwich City.

For months, we’ve been campaigning for clubs to bring their online presence into the offline stadium. The stadium is the heart of all footballing activities, so it makes sense that if you are going to start a Social Media strategy, you ensure that the stadium is ready for it – this means offering free WiFi for matchday connectivity, advertising your Social Media accounts and bringing in live social media content into the stadium.

By bringing in fan tweets (which will presumably be moderated before going on screen) – City are highlighting their Social Media presence and empowering fans to engage. It’s a nice connect from the offline user at the match, and perhaps the online user who may be thousands of miles away.

Manchester City join both Real Madrid and Barcelona as the only top flight European teams to optimise their stadium for Social Media.