Matchday on Twitter

West Ham United’s (@WHUFC_Official) home game with Hull City (@hullcityteam) last night was billed as the club’s first ever ‘Social Media Match’. Hammers fans came together before, during and after the game, as Twitter brought a new dimension to the matchday experience. We’ve rounded up some of the content from #HammerTime below.

When Hammers goalkeeper Adrian (@AdriSanMiguel) announced he’d left one of his gloves as a mystery London location, fans rushed to piece together the cryptic clue and win the #Gloveaway:

One lucky fan was the first to locate the glove, winning not only match tickets, but a meeting with Adrian after the game to complete the signed pair:

Midfielder Matt Taylor gave fans an access-all-areas look into a player’s matchday routine. Matt tweeted updates under the #MattsMatchday hashtag, sharing everything from the morning brew to the pre-match fuel:

No game is complete without a matchday programme. But instead of the usual player interview conducted by the club, the fans called the shots — submitting their questions via Twitter for midfield powerhouse Mohamed Diame in #AskMo.

The player warm-up was a particularly special experience for a selection of lucky fans. Fans were asked to use Twitter to provide messages of support, and the best #HammerShirts tweets adorned the kits of the squad as they limbered up:

Hammers fans were involved in the half-time entertainment too. Fans got to decide which songs would fill the Boleyn Ground during the interval, tweeting their requests to #HammersPlaylist.

Matty Taylor wasn’t the only first teamer getting involved through Twitter. Injured Matt Jarvis (@MrMattJarvis) was situated in the press box, tweeting out his own expert analysis as the game unfolded:

The game didn’t pass without incident, with red cards and penalties for the fans to discuss at the pub. But West Ham came through with a 2-1 victory, edging one step closer to @PremierLeague safety.

And the activity carried on beyond the final whilstle too, as fans were able to select their official man of the match via Twitter, with centre-back Roger Johnson taking the accolade.

This initiative illustrates how Twitter is bringing football fans closer to the action than ever before. West Ham’s use of Twitter not only highlights the increasing importance of engaging fans within the physical setting of the stadium, but also making the matchday experience more accessible and interactive for fans worldwide who can’t be in the terraces.