
Orlando Pride Wins Sports Business Journal's 2020 Best in Sports Social Media Following Groundbreaking "Pride Stan" Activation
June 23, 2021 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Orlando Pride News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. - Following one of the most innovative and buzzworthy sports social media activations of 2020, Orlando Pride's "Pride Stan" account has been named Sports Business Journal's "Best in Sports Social Media" at the prestigious Sports Business Awards on Wednesday evening. The Pride beat out four other stalwarts in the sports arena including the National Football League, the Arizona Coyotes, Bleacher Report and the Premier Lacrosse League.
"This award is a dedication to every woman that is fighting for equality around the world and trying to succeed despite global challenges," Diogo Kotscho, Orlando Pride SVP of communications, said upon accepting the award. "To the potential sponsors and partners who may be watching, the Pride Stan account and the Orlando Pride are yet another case that proves women's sports are worth investing in. The engagement, passion and fan support is simply amazing. We're honored to accept this award and to be playing our part in growing women's sports in the United States and across the globe."
Following the team's withdrawal from the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the "Pride Stan" account was born with the intention of continuing the coverage and celebration of the league and women's sports despite the Club being unable to compete. Acting a stan, or "superfan", the Pride social media channels utilized memes, GIFs and in-house produced content to highlight and cover each of the 23 matches of the tournament, from opening game to the championship.
Without having a team competing in the tournament, the Pride social media channels reached landmark numbers, while also delivering relevant, engaging content for corporate partners in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the conclusion of the preliminary round of the tournament, the Pride finished atop the league in both Twitter engagements (93,940) and brand value ($125,449), according to Zoomph. Additionally, the Pride finished second in Facebook engagement (23,263) and top in engagement rate (5.87%) on the platform, and second overall in Instagram engagements (344,594). During the 17 day tournament period, the Pride accounts totaled over 1.5 million engagements across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, a social media reach of nearly 12 million and over 16 million impressions on Twitter.
Additionally, July 2020 was the second highest social media impressions month in Club history, only behind July 2019, which included the Women's World Cup Final, celebration of the U.S. Women's National Team's win and players' return to market.
During the June 27 to July 13 window, the Pride Stan account also utilized its platform to boost additional storylines across the league, partnering with Racing Louisville FC to help promote their brand launch, welcoming expansion side Angel City FC and helping the NWSL Twitter page to 200 thousand followers.
National Women's Soccer League Stories from June 23, 2021
- Racing Rearranges Lineup in Defeat to NC Courage - Racing Louisville FC
- Lynn Williams' Brace Lifts Courage to 2-0 Victory over Racing Louisville - North Carolina Courage
- Orlando Pride Wins Sports Business Journal's 2020 Best in Sports Social Media Following Groundbreaking "Pride Stan" Activation - Orlando Pride
- Mariana Larroquette Finds the Net in Kansas City's 3-1 Loss to Orlando - Kansas City Current
- Leroux Brace, Marta Golazo Lead Pride to 3-1 Win at Kansas City - Orlando Pride
- Quinn Named to Canadian National Team for Olympic Games in Tokyo - Seattle Reign FC
- Allysha Chapman & Nichelle Prince Named to Canada Women's National Team for Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Houston Dash
- Sinclair Named to Canada Women's National Team Roster for Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Portland Thorns FC
- Kansas City NWSL Midfielder Desiree Scott Named to Canada Soccer Olympic Roster - Kansas City Current
- OL Reign Gets Back into the Win Column with Dominant Win over Chicago - Seattle Reign FC
- Sam Mewis Named to 2020 U.S. Olympic Roster, Lynn Williams Selected as Alternate - North Carolina Courage
- Dunn, Franch, Horan, Sauerbrunn Named to U.S. Women's National Team Roster for Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Portland Thorns FC
- Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle Named to U.S. WNT for Olympic Games in Tokyo - Seattle Reign FC
- Kristie Mewis Named to U.S. Women's National Team Roster for Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Houston Dash
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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- 10 Years of Pride: Tom Sermanni Reflects on Foundations and Legacy
- Orlando Pride Signs Forward Simone Jackson
- Barbra Banda Scores First Hat Trick in Orlando Pride History as Pride Beat Royals 3-1
- Tune In: Orlando Pride at Utah Royals on NWSL+ and Fan Duel Sports Network
- What to Watch For, Powered by Verizon, as the Orlando Pride Play at Utah Royals on Friday Night

