IMG are currently making plans to create three categories for Rugby League’s professional clubs and one important factor in deciding how to grade sides could be their following on social media platforms.
Although IMG have given no clues yet about the grading criteria they are likely to adopt, it would appear certain that clubs will be ranked not only in terms of how they perform on the pitch, but also how they perform off it, both financially and in terms of their public profile, which in the modern world means their prominence in social media.
With reference to the recent FIFA World Cup, the most popular nation to judge from its social media following is Brazil with over 33 million followers on the three major platforms of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, made up of 12.4 million followers on Facebook, 15.6 million Instagram followers and 5.6 million followers on Twitter.
Inevitably those numbers dwarf the figures for Super League clubs.
Nonetheless, there are some important pointers as to the popularity of Rugby League clubs, with Leeds Rhinos easily leading the way.
The Rhinos have 475,300 social media followers, which is made up of 200,900 on Twitter, 184,000 on Facebook and 90,400 on Instagram. The Rhinos are the most popular Super League club in each of the three categories of social media.
The second most popular club on social media is Wigan Warriors, with 284,500 followers in total, made up of 124,800 on Twitter, 96,000 on Facebook and 63,700 on Instagram.
Hull FC are in third place, with 230,800 followers in total, 400 more than fourth placed St Helens, whose remarkable success at winning four Super League titles in succession has not been rewarded with a larger social media following.
And followers of the Airlie Birds will be delighted to see that their following of 80,000 on Twitter, 110,000 on Facebook and 40,800 on Instagram is almost twice as big as that for their rivals across the city, Hull KR, whose total figure of 126,900 comes from 61,800 Twitter followers, 33,000 Facebook followers and 32,100 on Instagram.
Bringing up the rear in terms of social media followers in Super League are Leigh Leopards, newly promoted into Super League in 2023, who have 64,800 followers in total, comprising 26,900 on Twitter, 25,000 on Facebook and 12,900 on Instagram.
The Leopards trail their rivals on both Twitter and Instagram, although their Facebook following exceeds both Salford Red Devils (22,000) and Huddersfield Giants (17,000).
