Bengaluru FC - Sweeping in the winds of change

Just over a year ago, Bangaloreans walked down Magrath road with a Garuda Mall visit on the agenda completely oblivious to the fact that the seemingly insignificant football stadium on the opposite side of the road clutched the embers of what was to become an inseparable part of every one of those very Bangaloreans’ hearts over the course of the year to follow. The advent of Bengaluru Football Club has done wonders to status of the Beautiful Game throughout the country in the short time since its inception.

Numerous articles have been written about the title-winning side over the last few weeks; songs have been sung in praise of the “Men of Steel” and social media website have been bombarded with opinions on the I-League rookies. Here’s another one to add to the rising pile.

Being a football fan in India isn’t a walk in the park; not by any means. The late-night matches, the lack of scope for the sport in the country and the ever-present risk of being called a “plastic” fan are some of the obstacles that cast a looming shadow on the Beautiful Game in the subcontinent. However, that being said, India does have some of the most dedicated fans in the world; this has been proved by the response Bengaluru FC have generated from scratch in merely one season.

The club has been meticulous in the way it has built its fan-base. From creating and regularly updating social media accounts to live-tweeting every single minute of every single match, the professionalism of the club has shone through. Organising “#AskBFC” sessions on Twitter where fans get their questions answered by the players and of course, the unprecedented “BFC Day Out” – where a few lucky fans were organised into teams coached by the BFC players themselves and made to battle it out on the field – was just the icing on top of a very sweet cake.

From a personal stand-point, as a voracious user of Twitter, having one of my tweets re-tweeted by the club’s official account and the captain Sunil Chhetri himself was a thrill.

The club’s near-perfection in every field would have all come to naught had it not been for the fans, affectionately known as “Westwood’s Blue Army”. The passionate India football fan used to staying up till 3am to watch Champions League matches just needed an outlet to voice his passion; and when the opportunity presented itself in the form of Jindal Steel Works’ stroke of genius, boy did he gleefully grab it with arms outstretched.

From showing up in large numbers – averaging close to 7,000 per home game, to organising marches through the streets of Bangalore and singing himself hoarse, the Indian football fan surpassed his own expectations, living the dream beyond his wildest imagination. Fans adorned in their team’s colours, with painted faces and customized haircuts, chanting for 90 minutes is considered a normal sight in a European stadium, but here in India it is nothing short of extraordinary. Led by the famous West Block A whose raucous chants are supported by the drum beats of the North Stand, the lively atmosphere at the Bangalore Football Stadium is infectious. The club paid tribute to its adoring fans after its last home game against Pune FC with a heart-warming gesture.

The live telecast of all matches at the Arbor Brewing Company – the club’s official pub – was well-received by the ever-growing fan base, with fans who were unable to watch the match live cheering the team on at the pub. If this is a sign of things to come, a pleasantly eventful next few years are in store.

Bengaluru FC are seen as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success

The announcement of the setting up of “BFC Soccer Schools” across the country is another cause for celebration for young, passionate footballers who are looking to make it big on the golden stage. Talented youngsters now have the perfect platform to exhibit and nurture their capabilities. The fact that the BFC Under-19 team made it to two finals in national-level tournaments is testament to the success of the BFC Academy.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks that the club and the I-League as a whole will have to overcome in order to endeavour to achieve the success its European counterparts experience season after season. Despite the notable increase in television viewership of I-League matches, several key clashes weren’t telecasted this season. Hopefully, the Ten Network will strive to telecast live matches instead of monotonous repeats of previous ones. Commentary has always been a major component of sport and quite frankly, the current set of commentators on the Ten Network don’t seem very well adapted to their craft. Finally, the quality of the recording equipment – both audio and video – will have to be improved drastically, for a more pleasant viewing experience. These can be dismissed as minor discrepancies, but their resolution will speak volumes in the success of the future seasons.

A consistently dominant string of performances from Bengaluru FC since the start of the season has been well rewarded with the I-League rookies claiming the title with a game in hand. This famous and historic title win, apart from trending on Facebook for over 24 hours, prompted the club to extend its generous arms once more towards the fans with 50 lucky members of the Blue Army being ferried to Goa on the club’s tab to attend the presentation ceremony of the I-League title following the final game of the season. For those who were not able to make the cut, the club announced an open-top bus celebration through the streets of Bangalore to commemorate the title victory. Yet another example of Bengaluru FC’s determination to reach out to the fans.

This, a sublime example of a “Cascade” or the “Domino effect”, will forever remain in the hearts of everyone affiliated to Bengaluru FC in any way, the memories of which will be the cause of several instants of reminiscent goose-bumps for years to come. All it took was a little shove, in the form of the exquisite Ashley Westwood-led team playing their socks off in a little slice of heaven opposite Garuda Mall, and the Indian football fan answered the call. The winds of change are blowing through the cricket-obsessed subcontinent, and its effects will change the way the Beautiful Game is perceived from the grass-roots level up. This can only mean one thing – progress. And what can we expect from this progress? A bright future.