Non-league Stamford are claiming be the first English club to display their Twitter handle on their strip this season.  The Evo-Stik First Division South side say their new first-team shirts will feature club’s Twitter handle –making them the first English football team to advertise a social network identity on their shirt.

The club will include @StamfordAFC1896 on the back of their new Errea home shirts and will wear them for the first time on Tuesday night in their final pre-season home friendly against Rotherham United.

The home shirt will also feature a QR code which instantly link users to the club’s new official twitter feed.  This is an element we’re less sure about as we know that they impossible to use if the are moving about.  If they are on the available kit to buy then it may have a small amount of value.

Director Chris Rivett said: “We believe we’re the first football club to display our club Twitter name and a QR code on the back of our kit, possibly even the first sports club in the world.

“As a club we are keen to embrace the digital age and the opportunities it brings. Our communications strategy is centred around interacting with supporters through a variety of media, and on their terms.

“The platform social networks provide will be key to allowing us to do that effectively, so this form of promotion was an obvious means of maximizing exposure to everything we are doing as a football club.”

Here is a ‘sneak preview’ they provided to fans via Twitter recently;

Last season Mexican side Jaguares were the first team to allow players to display their own personal twitter handles on the back of their shirts, instead of their surnames.  Other sports have followed suit with Rugby League side Leeds Rhinos, The LPGA and the FA Womens Football Super League in recent times looking to highlight their digital efforts via their kit.

Rivett added: “As the relationship between technology and sport evolves I expect this will become a common practice; sports clubs, and perhaps more significantly players and brands, will look to interact with supporters in this manner.

“Just down the road from us, Kettering Town are widely recognised as being the first team in Britain to have a shirt sponsor. If the opportunity is adopted on a global scale, it will nice to see Stamford acknowledged as one of pioneers of this approach.”