Olympian gets social with Citydesk Sport

Olympian Kelly Sotherton joined forces with Citydesk Sport recently to deliver a training session with a twist to Birmingham’s upcoming athletes. 

Instead of testing their fitness on the track, at their club’s training ground – Birchfield Harriers at the Alexander Stadium,  were put through their paces on social media.

The Citydesk Sport team delivered a workshop on social media, teaching young and aspiring athletes how they can use it to their advantage and in turn encourage sponsorship deals to allow them to financially continue with their athletic career dreams.

Former heptathlete, Kelly Sotherton, was on hand with the Citydesk Sport team to showcase her experience of social media and how she has used it as a tool to advance her own career within the media.

Citydesk Sport’s head of social media, Kate Allum, said the event was a roaring success and it was brilliant to give the young athletes an insight into how to utilise social media, in a safe and fun way to advance their sporting careers.

She said: “It was a brilliant to meet with the Birchfield Harriers athletes and help them bolster their sporting careers through the medium of social media.

Many of them have a unique opportunity to create their own brand identity, which, I believe, will help them to continue with their sporting success.

It was fantastic to team up with Kelly who not only has a wealth of experience on the track but also as a social media user. It was great to hear from her, first hand, how she uses social media to her advantage.”

The social media workshop was part of the Great Birchfield Social Switch On campaign which is a 12 month long campaign encouraging Birchfield Harriers athletes to become more social media savvy.

Andy Paul, club chair at Birchfield Harriers, said: “Social media has given young and aspiring athletes the opportunity to reach out to potential sponsors for endorsement to help fund their careers in athletics.

Over the past three years social media has become a powerful tool for sponsors of athletes, who value an athlete’s brand identify – on social – as much as their ability to perform on the track.

It is vital we teach these rising stars how to use social media safely while utilising the huge potential being social offers.”