If you follow any futsal-related pages on social media, chances are that your list of ‘suggested pages’ to follow will include a Series Futsal player.
Whether they are established players or the new kid on the block, more and more individuals are creating personal pages to document their Series Futsal journey.
More than 10 current elite-level players are promoting themselves, their clubs and the competition via the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, using imagery and video to highlight their actions on the court.
Some of these players include social media stalwarts Andre Caro (Pascoe Vale) and Daniel Cappellaro (Balwyn), plus newcomers Rasoul Bahmani (Ashburton), Ubedye Cicke (Hume), Ernie Simsek (Carlton), Sofiane Soufi (Pascoe Vale), Aaron Yu (Fitzroy) and Richard Ferguson (Pascoe Vale).
Ben Monteleone also has a personal page, however, it is a satire page that, generally, mocks those who promote themselves on the social platforms.
Despite it being a fake page, it is entertaining all the same!
The uptake of player pages on social media has been met with a mixed response, with just as many ‘likes’ as there are detractors.
And on a team front, champion club Pascoe Vale has gone to the effort of employing its own media and marketing manager to help drive the club’s message.
Daniel ‘D10’ Cappellaro is one of the best users of social media currently playing in Series Futsal at the moment, with a following of 43,100 on Instagram, 11,200 on Facebook and 2,200 on YouTube.
Cappellaro says that having a healthy social following has helped him speak with new audiences.
“Having an active social media presence is important for a few reasons,” Cappellaro told SeriesFutsal.com.
“Social media has allowed me to build my profile in a sport where previously there was little to no marketing.
“Creating your own content has become a very powerful tool for athletes, entrepreneurs and anyone else who is in a “start up” field.
“For me, it’s about documenting your journey, creating awareness of your skill set, your team/club/company and ultimately your sport/industry. It’s about showing the good with the bad, to show authenticity alongside your ability and personality.
“It also helps my club and the league I play in. Personally it assists with my sponsors, work within the media and other promotional opportunities. This is due to the influencing power that is held by social media, thus the tag ‘influencer’ that has become the advertising and marketing fad of the last year.”
Get yourself to the Thomastown Futsal Oz Stadium to see the big matches unfold, or CLICK HERE for live stream coverage, starting at 6:50pm AEDT this Friday.
ROUND 21 FIXTURES
7pm: CF Brunswick v Fitzroy FC
8pm: FC Balwyn v FC Collingwood
9:10pm: Pascoe Vale FC v Hume FC
10:10pm: Ashburton FC v Metropolitan FC