Now it’s time to talk about the good side of social media and football. As previously stated in a previous blog post about online streaming and social media highlights, the game is now reachable all over the internet in various ways. Social media has given a voice to the now voiceless football fan in a country full of clubs who give little consideration when making decisions to the most important part of any football club, the fans.

With the growing influence the internet and social media now has on football, fans have used it to get their views across to clubs over the past few years. A memorable example was the petition launched by the Football Supporters Federation back in 2013. The petition was calling on a cap on away match ticket prices at £20. Every fan’s signature triggered an email to the club they support and the league in which that club play, notifying them that they are behind the FSF’s campaign. The Twenty’s Plenty campaign was shared on Twitter and on Facebook, helping to bring the campaign to light to football fans around the country. Although many clubs did not listen, there have been some successes with Reading FC implementing the Twenty’s plenty format in the 2016/17 season. This is a rare thing for a Championship club with the average cost of the dearest away ticket in the Championship now more expensive than a Premier League ticket at £31.57. With ticket prices still an issue throughout the leagues, Twenty’s Plenty and other similar campaigns gain a lot of support online from fans, particularly on Twitter. Twitter’s a great way of organising protests and large groups of people to come together for a cause like ticket prices.

In the 2015/16 season Liverpool fans staged their first walkout at Anfield in 132 years over ticket prices. Their walkout was in the 77th minute after an increase in price of a match day ticket to £77 from £59 for the following season was announced prior to the game. The walkout gained a lot of attention on Twitter before, during and after the walkout which was a great way of raising awareness that fans are no longer accepting of the situation regarding ticket prices. Fans will have gained even more confidence from the protest after the club’s owners backed down from their ticket price change and froze ticket prices for this current season. Like Liverpool fans, Newcastle fans have staged similar protests against the way in which their club has been run. #AshleyOut was a protest organised through Twitter users and fans of the club which gained national attention before and after the game. Although relegated in the 2015/16 season, it seems as if the owner has either listened to the fans or had a change of heart for whatever reason and began to invest in the club once again.

Social media may have its problems when it comes to football but it is a platform that must be taken advantage of by fans across the country if they want to make the changes that are needed in the game. The pressure on clubs from supporters from social media campaigns and the national attention that comes with them is a formidable force that can affect football for the good.