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The fourth season of ISL is all set to kick start today. It is important for the football clubs to engage fans through social media.
This is an important aspect of football in India, as we have seen little or no fan engagement in other tournaments like the I-League or the Federation Cup, outside of Kolkata, the Northeast, or Bengaluru.
Even Bengaluru FC, when they were in the I-League, have made good use of social media to reach out to fans. This resulted in fans thronging to the stadium and showing their support for the club.
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The ISL has recognised this area, and all their clubs are engaging the fans son multiple social media platforms, something that has created a buzz around the tournament.
Here, we take a look at the clubs that have more fans on social media.
10) Jamshedpur FC (31k followers)
The Tata-owned club is a new entry to the Fourth ISL League, therefore, compared with other clubs they have low popularity on social circle. Let's see how Steve Coppell and his players can gain fans through social media after this season.
Facebook - 23450 likes
Twitter - 2364 followers
Instagram - 6144 followers
9) Bengaluru FC (523k followers)
The two-time I-League champions and runners-up in the AFC Cup have now become a part of ISL. A good run in last four years have increased their fan-following in social media. Another plus point is the presence of Indian star Sunil Chhetri, who has the highest fan following footballers.
Facebook - 281767 likes
Twitter - 199k followers
Instagram - 42.8k followers
8) NorthEast United FC (769k followers)
The common feelings of fans from the eight states of the NorthEast have been brought together to Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, as well as on social media. This team, with a renovated stadium, will boost more fans in the upcoming ISL season.
Facebook - 438936 likes
Twitter - 294k followers
Instagram - 95.5k followers
7) Mumbai City FC (791k followers)
The Ranbir Kapoor co-owned club has a strong facebook following, thus resulting in increased fans in social media. Also, Mumbai's performance last year was better than previous seasons, thanks to marquee player Diego Forlan and Indian star player Sunil Chhetri, who have large fan-following on social media also gain more fans to online.
Facebook - 580791 likes
Twitter - 143k followers
Instagram - 58.9k followers
6) Delhi Dynamos FC (792k followers)
Delhi Dynamos as a club have no brand ambassadors. They have average turnouts in the stadium, but have a powerful fans base across social media, especially on Facebook. The arrival of Alessandro Del Piro and Roberto Carlos gained huge popularity for the Dynamos.
Facebook - 644146 likes
Twitter - 107k followers
Instagram - 41k followers
5) FC Goa (828K followers)
FC Goa's best finish was a run to the final in the second edition of ISL. The fans, known to be loyal and vocal in their support, in their stadium thus resulted in much social media interaction. Goa co-owner Virat Kohli, the captain of the Indian cricket team, who has millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, is an additional advantage to increase their fan base.
Facebook - 438936 likes
Twitter - 294k followers
Instagram - 95.5k followers
4) FC Pune City (1.07m followers)
FC Pune City's fan following around social media is quite large. They may not have made it to the semifinals in any season yet, but they have still managed to cross the 1 million-mark. Pune are the 3rd most followed club on Facebook.
Facebook - 889149 likes
Twitter - 123k followers
Instagram - 57.8k followers
3) Chennaiyin FC (1.08m followers)
The second edition champions Chennaiyin FC became the fourth team to enter the 1 million followers' club in ISL.They have a strong surprisingly higher Twitter-following than Facebook. They acquired more fans after becoming champions in the second season and also another advantage is of co-owners Bollywood star Abhishek Bachan and cricket star MS Dhoni (who was captain of Chennai super king in IPL) have most followers in social media.
Facebook - 440557 likes
Twitter - 552k followers
Instagram - 94.4k followers
2) ATK (1.68m followers)
Two-time winners ATK are one of the most popular clubs in ISL. They are the only club who entered semifinals in all three seasons and have one of the highest fan followings in the league. The team had a massive fan following after they obtain their marquee signing, Robbie Keane in the upcoming league.
Facebook - 1100084 likes
Twitter - 478k followers
Instagram -107k followers
1) Kerala Blasters FC (2.95m followers)
Kerala Blasters are currently the most popular club in ISL on social media. Kerala Blasters are the only club to have completed 2 million followers on social media. They have also reached 1 million-mark on Twitter. The Blasters' average attendance of around 48,000 the during last three season, which often translates to a large number of online support. Another great aspect of their social media presence is that co-owner and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has a huge follower base.
Facebook - 1017882 likes
Twitter - 1.6M followers
Instagram - 336k followers
