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Citation

Manoli AE, Anagnostou M & Kolyperas D (2025) Understanding Organisation Public Relations through Twitter communication for the European Super League [Understanding Organisation Public Relations through Twitter communication for the European Super League]. European Sport Management Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2024.2442579

Abstract
Research question: Twitter is often praised as a means for mutual beneficial relationships and dialogue to be built between a sport organisation and its fans, thus encouraging for the implementation of online Organisational Public Relations (OPR). We examine this proposition by focusing on the use of Twitter from football clubs and their fans to explore the role and nature of online OPR and how this evolves when key business decisions are communicated via social media and when fans actively react to such strategic communication. Research methods: Content analysis was conducted in six UK football clubs’ tweets when joining and then withdrawing from the European Super League, and in fans’ responses to them, in order to identify how OPR manifests online. Results and Findings: The findings reveal that clubs communicated their decisions in a manner that lacked input from the fans, with a minimum effort made for their interests to be considered. It is also revealed that the fans request for a dialogue with the clubs which is currently missing and demand for a substantial, respectful and beneficial relationship to be built with the clubs. Implications: By focusing on both sides of OPR, the clubs and the fans, in our study, we uncover that online OPR can take different forms and shapes when Twitter is used, depending on the directions of the communication and the relationships built. As such, we identify and propose the 4I framework capturing the four types of OPR domains, across which organisations and publics ebb and flow.

Keywords
social media; sport communication; premier league; fan engagement

Journal
European Sport Management Quarterly