If you are a serious sports fanatic then you might find it slightly frustrating trying to tell friends and family about the latest sporting updates. The more excited and in-depth of an explanation you go into, the more their eyes glaze over and the more disinterested they seem.
That’s why being a part of a sports fan website can be a great thing for a sport-lover: you are able to share your interests with countless numbers of like-minded people, safe in the knowledge that they will listen to your every word. Having a sports fan site creates a real sense of community within your sports area of choice, and it allows you to engage with your hobby as much or as little as you desire. In order to grow this sense of community, it is important that you include a few important functions within your site so that it can prosper.
Social media
If you use social media regularly then you will understand the importance of its use in the sporting world. By being able to link your social media to your sports fan website, other users will be able to see what kind of sport-related information that you’re posting. This doesn’t need to be a time-consuming essay: Twitter only lets you write 280 characters at a time, meaning all sport updates have to be kept short and sweet.
Linking your social media to your website also shows other fans that you know what you’re talking about. For example, if you’re posting live updates of results and commentary on the latest footie game then it’s clear you’re a true fan, and are committed to ensuring that your website is useful for other sports fans.
Having live updates which are shared both on your website and your social media is also a great way to reach out to professionals on the go who might not have the time to always keep up to date with their favourite game. By keeping them in the loop, you’re more likely to build a strong sports community that includes everyone.
If you want a live chat room then linking your Facebook messenger is a great way to keep everyone connected so that you can share your love for sport with others at any time of day.
Blogs
If you want to commit a bit more time to your fan site, then blogs are a great way to draw others to your website. By writing opinion pieces about certain matches, providing history on a certain popular player, or even offering information pieces about the importance of your sport of choice, you are bound to get more people interested in your content, thus inspiring them to become a member of your fan site.
Writing blogs can also increase the visibility of your fan site. If people are googling questions online, and Google’s search engine picks up on the key terms from the question within your website, it is more likely to boost your website further up the search index. This is something called SEO – search engine optimisation. This is important if you want to increase your membership number: the more people who find your fan site, the more likely it is that you will generate larger numbers of interest.
Upload photos
Uploading photos is a great way to add some visuals to your website: whether you’re posting pictures to show support for your favourite player or want to post your own snaps from a live game, it’s a good idea to have a photo gallery to display all of this. It adds a personal touch, and allows you to share your opinions about a game/players in an authentic way.
If you want to get other site users involved then you could encourage them to send you photos of their own about the chosen sport – why not encourage them to send you their pictures through social media, and then you can upload them onto your fan site? This would encourage others to become actively involved with your fan site, ensuring that you have a steady stream of people who want to become a part of your community.
How to set up a fan site
Whilst setting up a website might be daunting, don’t let this stop you from building a thriving online sports community. Go Sitebuilder does all the hard stuff for you, meaning that you can start your fan site free from any hassle. Not sure if you’re ready to commit yet? Their 14-day free trial gives you all the time you need to decide whether or not you want to start your sports fan site today!