Champions League Finalists see 566% Twitter follower growth

This years UEFA Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund saw a combined growth of 566% for their Twitter followers in the past 6 months. Last week, we reported the growth of Football Social Media and how the total combined following of all official football clubs’ Twitter accounts was over 66 million worldwide. A closer look at the numbers this week revealed that the two German giants added some 700,000 new Twitter followers in the last 6 months, with a growth spurt higher than any other club in the top 100 clubs on Twitter.

During the month of May (the final was hosted at Wembley Stadium on the 25th May 2013), both clubs saw significant Twitter follower growth with some 20,000 new Twitter users following their accounts and then in June between 12-15,000 new followers being gained post-final.

As demonstrated in the graph below, it’s clear to see how both clubs managed to double their Twitter following in the space of a few months, clearly enjoying the enhanced media profile from being in the UEFA Champions League final.

Undoubtedly, success in such competitions will improve brand visibility, but it’s interesting to note how many fans began to follow the accounts even ahead of the final itself. Furthermore, despite Dortmund’s best efforts to win the final, Bayern prevailed on and off the pitch.

Back in April, both teams were neck on neck in regards to Twitter followers, but since their victory they have surged ahead of their Bundesliga rivals constantly widening the gap between the two clubs.