This is from the series in the Glentoran Gazette ‘This is my Oval’ and it focuses on volunteers and loyal supporters who give that little bit extra to the club. It’s about getting the recognition the volunteers deserve and hopefully it’ll inspire others to give up their time too. This is a look back on last seasons articles
Name: Chris Gorman
Role: Glens Social Media Team
Where can you be found at the Oval?
“ I can be found manning the guest gate from 12.30 until kick off. You’ll then find me on the terrace (City corner/Sydenham depending on which way we’re shooting) or in the premier lounge (usually the latter!)”
How did you become involved as a volunteer?
“ It was a midweek game vs Linfield a couple of seasons ago and I noticed that the twitter announced there would be no updates due to no volunteers being present at the game. As I knew those who ran the twitter at the time, I messaged one and said I’d cover the game for them. It was tough balance at first; enjoying the game with your eyes glued to your phone but I soon got used to it. The team lost a member at the time due to other commitments therefore I said I’d come onboard permanently and help out as best as I can.”
You must be very proud of the amount followers the Glens Twitter have now?
“Absolutely. For part time club to be closing in on 10k followers is phenomenal. The dedication from the whole team is something that we can be very proud of. Attaining the ‘verified’ symbol was a very pleasing moment; being the first in the whole of Ireland to do so. In saying that, I think we can be proud of the growing success of our other social media platforms too. Facebook, despite having less ‘likes’ continues to be a central hub of interaction with supporters and interested parties. Instagram continues to grow in popularity whilst Vine & Snapchat focus on niche markets with limited success.”
What’s the process when releasing official news? Does a board member have to confirm with you to release certain information before it can go live?
“Usually one of the board will notify Pete/Andy that a news story will be going onto the website. We have it set up that when an article uploads onto Glentoran.com, it automatically generates a Facebook status & tweet on the respective platforms. For smaller pieces of news, our commercial director Simon would usually message one of the social media team to put something up on Facebook/Twitter. This can prove very useful with the constant updates during the ICF ticket frenzy being a main example.”
What is the importance of promoting Glentoran via Social Media?
“In the digital age that we live in, promoting the club through our social media platform is vital. The club needs to secure their future by encouraging a new generation of fans through the gate. An overwhelming majority of younger fans have access to Facebook/Twitter therefore it’s important to interact with these people. Both platforms receive varying levels of messages from fans asking questions about upcoming events/ticket news etc so it’s vitally important that we try and respond to as many as we can.”
Is it difficult to do update match Tweets during the match?
“It was at the start. I’m there first and foremost as a supporter paying in to watch a game of football. I found myself missing a lot of the game with my eyes on my phone half of the time. As the matches went on though, you learned to take the game in and update during breaks in play and quiet moments. I’ll be brutally honest and say that it’s sometimes hard to enjoy big goals when you have to remain focused and update twitter before the competition (other general irish league accounts etc). I’ve always been of the belief that Glentoran news/goals should come from official Glentoran accounts first. When your mates and other fans surrounding you are jumping in delirium, you have to make sure you get that tweet out first. In knowing that fans not in attendance are getting the news from you before anyone else; that makes it worthwhile.”
Can you tell me a bit about your other role on the Guest Gate?
“It’s a bit of a strange combination this! It came about in a similar situation to my other role. Club secretary Ricky Rea put a notice on his Facebook page that a volunteer was needed on the gate for the Portadown game on 2nd September 2014. Seeing as I had nothing else to do prior to kick off, I said I’d do it. I guess I’ve been coming back ever since.”
Why do you do it?
“The club will always need volunteers. Those who have been volunteering for 5/10+ years are not going to be around forever. I enjoy injecting fresh ideas into the social media side of things and trying to give those following updates the closest possible match experience as if they were standing beside me on the terrace. I’ve a vast myriad of golden memories supporting Glentoran so personally; giving something back to the club that I love so dearly is enormously satisfying. I’ve found that, during my time on the guest gate, you become a bit more privy to the inner workings of the club in preparation for a matchday at The Oval and you get to meet and interact with people who share the same passion for Glentoran.”
Best moment since becoming a Glentoran volunteer that’s made it all worthwhile?
“2nd May 2015. The sheer enormity of work put in by Simon/Ruth and others to prepare the old stadium for an Irish Cup Final will probably never be given the true recognition it deserves. From a social media point of view, we took quite a lot of barracking for being the bearer of bad news when it came to priority ticket/sold out notices. To be able to celebrate a major cup win with my friends, social media team, the milk bar volunteers, Ruth (my star) & all other friendly faces I’ve had the privilege of getting to know through volunteering is a night that I’ll never ever forget. These are the people that I call my Glentoran family.”
Any plans for the future in regards to the Glentoran social media?
“The next target is to break the 10k barrier on Twitter (currently 9624 at the time of writing). The social media team are in daily conversation with each other through a private messaging group so there’s never a gap in communication. The overriding aim will always be to expand our follower base across all platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat and of course the fairly new GlensTV.”
How many volunteers does it take to manage all these social media accounts?
“Pete & Andy have been there from the very start and they deserve immense credit for the consistent level of dedication they’ve put in. We’ve lost and gained volunteers since I first joined but we’ve established a close team of friends who I think will drive our platforms forward. Last season we had myself, Pete, Andy, Kirk, Jordan & Paul. Paul has recently taken over as PA announcer after Gill’s retirement so the team got together and brought in a replacement – the social media team’s first female member. Welcome Marie! It’s important to have different styles of updates on matchdays so we usually rotate update duty every week or two.”
Best moment being a Glenman?
“I started following week in week out in 1998 when I was 8 years old so I’ve been very lucky to witness nearly every possible permutation our league has to offer. The Armstrong semi final, ICF 01, 02/03 season, Morgan day etc are all magical but if I had to pick something different I’d say the Irish Cup win in 2013. I grew up expecting major trophies every season during our trophy-laden spell which dried up towards the end of Coyle’s reign. It was 7 long years since ‘that day in May’ and the victory itself was very sweet considering the build-up and sounds from the opposition camp!”
Favourite player of all time?
“That’s a hard one, I’ve seen some very talented players wear the green in my time; Lockhart, Nixon, Leeman, Walker, Glendinning to name a few. I’m going to say Gary Hamilton. The guy oozed class during his short spell with Glentoran and was an absolute delight to watch every week. Had we not suffered the ‘quantity over quality’ era of Paul Millar, Gary would have more than 1 league medal in his Glentoran collection.”
What would you say to others interested in volunteering?
“Do it. If you can spare even 20 minutes a week, the club will always have something that needs done and they will always be grateful! I know that the club is often short of a volunteer to man one of the turnstiles on most matchdays so any help given is very much appreciated. In terms of the social media team, we are all approachable online/at the match if you have any ideas or expertise you think will help us expand and strive to be the best at what we do. Who knows, you might even make some new friends for life; I know I have.”