English Premier League issues Social Media use guidelines

Social media is becoming more and more part of our everyday life and it is causing problems even within football. Now the English Premier League has issued guidance to its clubs on player use of social media.

This comes after clubs had asked the EPL to put together general guidelines for the use of social media after players have been causing uproars for their tweets.

The guidelines focus on a number of areas including the benefits of using social media to engage with supporters, understanding the potential audience of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and recognising that it is possible to commit offences online via social media.

Advice is offered on the endorsement of brands, goods and services, while confidential information about team selection, injuries or tactics is prohibited from being disclosed on social media.

Also outlined is The FA regulatory role in respect of disciplinary action that can be taken against players who make improper comments on social media websites.

Though now there are new guidelines in place the Premier League still views social media as a useful tool, if used responsibly, it provides a way for fans to follow and communicate with players and this was not possible in this way earlier.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore commented on social media in a recent interview and outlined the many benefits of its use by saying, "Social media is doing a good job of allowing fans to feel closer to the players. There is a more human side now to some of the players and the public can communicate more directly with them."

"Clearly it isn't the same as texting your best mate or talking to someone in person and sometimes there can be abusive comments, but generally the internet, online chat rooms, and the way people are communicating is healthy," Scudamore added.