Conference target after surge!

Amazed administrators have seen the numbers following the NPL Facebook Group quadruple since last summer from just over 5,000 to 20,387 as of midnight on Sunday, a figure only around 2,000 short of the official Twitter feed of the National League.

The NPL Facebook Group - one of the fastest growing online communities in football with more than the 5000 members currently interacting and sharing the latest news and information - was set up back in 2009 by two fans watching an FA Trophy clash.

One of them, a delighted Bradley Dobson, confirmed that overhauling the Football Conference's tally was now their next target.

He said: "I don't know how we've done it but we have! The NPL Group on Twitter has broken past the 20K followers mark and we are now only 2K behind the National League's official account. Can we out do them? Of course! What a journey!"

The numbers following the EVO-STIK NPL's official Twitter account are also on the up. After passing the 10,000 mark last summer, more than 12,000 people have now hit the follow button with more than 2,000 new followers since the season kicked off.

Last season a league wide digital survey also revealed that the average social media reach of individual clubs was topping the 5,000 mark and growing rapidly.

Since the start of the current campaign every club boasts a Twitter account and the vast majority are also active on other platforms led by Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat, the latter also embraced by the NPL Facebook Group this season.

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