Interactive ‘Boro’ Fan Map
Feb 16, 2015
February 2015 saw the ‘alpha’ launch of my new side-project, www.borofanmap.com.
The website enables fans of Middlesbrough Football Club (otherwise known as The Boro) to tag themselves online, select their graphics, and tell their own story. Huge thanks to my fellow Boro fans and geeks alike, Greg Matthewson and Peter Brock for their hard-work in turning this idea into a reality.
At the time of writing this article the website has been online for just over a week, following a Sunday evening ‘soft launch’ on social media to friends and family. Since then the website has amassed 15,000+ visits and 1500+ pins. Middlesbrough fans have tagged themselves in over 50 countries, and the project has been covered by the Evening Gazette and BBC Tees Radio (you can listen to my nervous interview here) – to say the uptake has been incredible is an understatement.
Although we’ve ventured only a short way into the journey of this project, the response so far has been beyond my most optimistic expectations. Reading the stories from fellow supporters has opened my eyes to how much of an impact this ‘small town in Europe’ has across the globe, and how much pride is amongst those of us born and raised here. However, undoubtedly the crowning moment so far is what I heard from a San-Fransisco based Middlesbrough supporter which somehow puts everything into perspective; “I met fellow San Francisco Based Boro Fan Michael for lunch yesterday at work, purely because of this map. Good work lads!”.