darren Cheesman Q&a Ady Kerry
What social media tools do you use? I use Twitter, Facebook and WordPress for my blog.
Why do you use these social media tools? I like hearing about other people’s lives, and people seem interested in my career as an England/GB player, so I’m happy to show people what it’s like.
GB and England’s Darren Cheesman (@ DarrenCheesman) is a big fan of social media
Do you feel added responsibility as an international sportsman to be more interactive with fans? Yes, it’s nice for people to have an interest in my life. I love to talk about the sport to anyone who’s interested, and I’m one of the lucky few who get to be a part of the international set- up. A lot of people don’t know what’s involved so it’s nice to be able to keep
people informed. If Cesc Fabregas ever mentioned me in one of his tweets I’d be delighted as I follow football and am a fan of his. If I can have a fraction of that impact on someone else then it’s worth it.
Do you have this more positive attitude towards social media than others because you’re new to the international scene and more enthusiastic about it? A lot of the other guys are quite new to Twitter, they’ve only just started to get involved. Initially Twitter can be daunting, it was not often [until now] that our comments could be broadcast to hundreds of people at the same time! I’ve been doing it longer, I’ve got used to how it works and I’m happy to talk to everyone.
as getting new ones. “One of the great things about the likes of Facebook and Twitter is that people have to want to ‘like’ you or ‘follow’ you so you know these people are engaged,” says Lawrence. This is a rare display of understanding
from a governing body about fan interaction. By way of a counter- example, last summer Formula One held it’s first ever ‘Fan Forum’. This was a discussion held with about a hundred fans in a lecture theatre in
London, with a few well known personalities from the Formula One paddock answering questions. James Allen, a long-standing F1 journalist, described this forum as a “unique opportunity for the fans and the sport to come together and exchange ideas”. Wait a minute though, due to the quantity of F1 fans, this sort of debate actually happens regularly on social media sites. However, the way the Fan Forum was portrayed as a unique experience certainly suggests there is an aloof nature about F1 which isn’t the case in hockey. Of course, there is a lot about F1 and hockey that makes any comparison difficult. But it is the fans that more often than not make a sport what it is, and it is Formula One’s loss if it has forgotten that. Hockey is not a big fan-based sport: it derives its popularity in the most part from those who love playing it week in, week out. To keep these people engaged is vital and social media is a great way of doing it. Clubs are also getting
increasingly involved, not only with their members but also with their local community and rivals. Weymouth Hockey Club runs a flourishing social media outlet co-ordinated by Patrick May. As you’d expect, both Facebook and Twitter are used to
when it All goes peAr shAped
HARRY JAWANDA: In April 2010 then Reading player Harry Jawanda was suspended for two games by the England Hockey disciplinary panel for what were said to be “inflammatory” comments about another team on Facebook. The team wasn’t named but Beeston are understood to have made the complaint. The Nottinghamshire club had the last laugh as Jawanda was not available when the teams clashed in the championship semi- final which Beeston won 2-1.
keep members of the club informed. But Weymouth’s online presence (www.
weymouthhockeyclub.co.uk ) goes beyond the standard club fare of results, fixtures, training times and socials. The range of what they offer through their social media tools is far more frequently updated and diverse than many clubs. For example, their annual festival in April has been advertised using the power of Facebook and Twitter to invite players, teams and clubs from across the country. The festival has its own dedicated website (www.
weymouthhockeyfestival.co.uk) which runs alongside the equally well updated general site. While it is undoubtedly a time consuming task, the benefits the club can reap from such exposure on a
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