In August, we told you how Celtic making social media moves was having a real impact with audiences in Japan.
The signing of Kyogo Furuhashi built on a precedent from the spell Shunsuke Nakamura had at Celtic in the 00s. A lasting rapport had been built between Celtic and Japanese football fans. Of course, the former Vissel Kobe man’s signing relit a spark.
So, Celtic launched a Japanese Twitter account, hoping to emulate the success of the likes of PSG, Inter Milan and Liverpool.
Since then, Celtic have added 3 J League stars to their team. And that’s seen a significant rise in followers from Japan on Twitter. From being at nearly 20k in August, Celtic have nearly doubled their audience on Japanese twitter to 39.6k [Celtic FC JPN].
That’s more than Inter Milan, who have 31.3k [IMJP], who had Japan national team legend Yuto Nagatomo on their books between 2011 and 2018. Not only that, Celtic are catching up with PSG, who had 44k Japanese twitter followers [PSGJP].
After signing Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, the cause and effect is obvious. Celtic also added a Japanese section to their website, as well as a Japan-only online superstore.
To continue the theme, Celtic’s Teamgeist collection was unveiled by Shukyu Magazine, a Japanese lifestyle publication.
Celtic continue to grow audience in Japan with social media presence
Of course, it’s not just online. This season, Japanese football fans have made their way to Celtic Park. Meanwhile the national flag can be seen across the stadium on match days.
The Kyogo signing, and his subsequent impact, reopened a huge door for the Hoops. And, of course, the popularity of manager Ange Postecoglou. In the social media age, it’s far, far easier to keep abreast of your favourite players and coaches when they travel to far-off places.
Clearly, that’s what Japanese football fans are doing.
And Ange’s former assistant, Peter Cklamovski, absolutely nailed it with recent comments about the new bond between Celtic and Japan. He told The Times: “I think we can safely say that the whole of Japan will be behind Celtic, the four players and Ange as well, which is a huge reconnection to the Japanese market and the Japanese love affair that the club had previously through [Shunsuke] Nakamura.
“It’s another branch of supporters that have joined what Ange calls the Celtic family. That family is now even bigger.”
While this Twitter news may seem small-fry, social media is a great indicator of what’s popular in football. There’s a clear sign that Celtic are growing in support from a fanatical footballing market, and it’s a passionate Twitter following.
Should the new Celtic signings Hatate, Ideguchi and Maeda hit it off, then expect the Hoops to overtake PSG in this very specific battle.
Read more: French Report: Ligue 1 club drop out of transfer chase for Celtic-linked Zinedine Ferhat
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