UEFA has released a list of the top club websites in the world in their annual club licensing benchmarking report this year. With rapid advancements in technology, football fans all over the world are able to access the internet and as a result, can follow all the happenings at their favourite football clubs through their respective websites.
The UEFA report is based on footfalls observed during January and June of 2016 and it serves for an interesting observation. The top clubs across Europe make the list with English clubs dominating the top 20. A total of seven clubs from England are in the top 20 showing the global popularity of the English Premier League.
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So, on that note, here are the top 20 club websites in the world with the number of monthly visitors in brackets.
#20 Juventus (1.5 million)
Website – http://www.juventus.com/en/
The Old Lady are placed 20th on the list with 1.5 million visitors during January to June last year, and Juventus are surprisingly the only Italian side in the top 20. This shows the dire state of affairs in the Italian Serie A as a few less accomplished clubs eclipse the Italian giants.
#19 Galatasaray (1.6 million)
Website – http://www.galatasaray.org/anasayfa
The Turkish giants have undergone UEFA sanctions due to the newly implemented Financial Fair Play(FFP) rule in recent seasons but still had over a million visitors. Galatasaray, who are currently off the top spot in the Turkish Super Lig, need to have their website in more popular languages like English, Italian and German as their site is currently available only in Turkish.
#18 Zenit St. Petersburg (1.6 million)
Website – http://fc-zenit.ru/
The only Russian team on the list, Zenit St. Petersburg’s website was visited over 1.5 million times per month during the evaluation period. They are currently 2nd in the Russian Premier League behind Spartak and are through to the Europa League round of 32 as well.
#17 Manchester City (1.7 million)
Website – https://www.mancity.com/
The blue half of Manchester find themselves in the 17th spot as their rise to prominence occurred in the past decade. Now led by one of the best coaches in the world, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City can be expected to rise up this list in the coming years.
#16 Sao Paulo (1.75 million)
Website – http://www.saopaulofc.net/
The Brazilian giants are the only South American entrant in this list and are a testament to the growth of the Latin American country in terms of digital infrastructure. Sao Paulo registered 1.75 million footfalls on their website during the evaluation period and their presence is a good omen for non-European football.
#15 Marseille (1.8 million)
Website – https://www.om.net/
The first French team on the list, Marseille have not been as dominant in recent times and come in at 15th place on the list with 1.8 million visitors per month between January and June last year. Their website is available in English and Spanish as well apart from French.
#14 Tottenham Hotspur (1.8 million)
Website – http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/
The London outfit have become a well-drilled unit under Mauricio Pochettino and last year’s title fight sees them at 14th place in the list. Tottenham’s website has a good interface and they need to improve their global base if they have to match up to their more popular rivals in the league.
#13 Leicester City (1.9 million)
Website – http://www.lcfc.com/
The 2015-16 Premier League champions were the protagonists of the ultimate underdog victory in Premier League history and their dream title win pulls them to 13th place. However, Leicester’s website does not look like that of other English clubs on the list in terms of quality and given their current wretched run of form, they can be expected to fall down the list.
#12 PSG (2.6 million)
Website – http://www.psg.fr/en/Pre-home/001001/Pre-Home
The French side who have been resurgent under their new Qatari owners are the final side from France on the list. The website of PSG reminds of the UEFA official website with the hues of blue and the stadium in the background.
#11 Al Ahly (2.6 million)
Website – http://alahlyegypt.com/
The Egyptian giants are a welcome surprise on the list and they are the only African representation on the list. The fact that their website has seen over 2.5 million hits and also, they have managed to position themselves higher some of the top European teams shows how big an achievement this is for Al Ahly.
#10 Borussia Dortmund (2.7 million)
Website – http://www.bvb.de/
A neutral’s favourite across Europe, Borussia Dortmund are at 10th place with 2.7 million hits on their website. The black and yellow website is a welcome change of colours amongst the websites and also provides exciting packages for the visitors as well.
#9 Bayern Munich (2.9 million)
Website – https://fcbayern.com/en
The perennial German powerhouse and one of the most consistent top clubs in Champions League, Bayern Munich are at 9th place surprisingly given their stature. The website has a whole lot of features with videos, interviews and interesting club merchandise.
#8 Dynamo Kiev (3.1 million)
Website – http://www.fcdynamo.kiev.ua/en/
A surprise entry into the top 10, Dynamo Kiev are the first team on the list with over three million visitors and also one of the three teams whose visitors viewed the web page for more than 3 minutes. This is a notable achievement for any club in the top 5 leagues, let alone a Ukrainian club.
#7 Chelsea (3.2 million)
Website – http://www.chelseafc.com/
Chelsea are one of the four English clubs in the top 7, showing the popularity of the Premier League. Also, they are the second team along with Dynamo Kiev out of the 3 teams with more than 3 million visitors viewing the website for more than 3 minutes on average. The website has a widget to show the upcoming matches on the home page which is a nice touch.
#6 Fenerbahce (3.3 million)
Website – http://www.fenerbahce.org/
Another dark horse in the top 10, the Turkish giants Fenerbahce have recorded 3.3 million footfalls in the observation period. Although the website does not look as appealing as the other ones in the top 10, it still did well with the total number of viewers.
#5 Barcelona (6.3 million)
Website – https://www.fcbarcelona.com/
This could be a surprise for many that Barcelona are 5th on the list and not higher although there is a definite difference of 3 million from the next-placed team. The Catalans’ website also has a background hue and stadium image like the UEFA site, which was previously observed in the PSG website.
#4 Real Madrid (7.2 million)
Website – http://www.realmadrid.com/en
The presence of both the Spanish powerhouses at 5th and 4th show how the top three attract online viewers better. Real Madrid come in at 4th with 7.2 million visitors during the observation period. Their website is home to the Real Madrid basketball team as well.
#3 Liverpool (7.7 million)
Website – http://www.liverpoolfc.com/welcome-to-liverpool-fc
Despite struggling to reach their top standards set in Europe a decade back, Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp registered 7.7 million footfalls and are the third team along with Chelsea and Dynamo Kiev to have more than 3 million visitors with an average view time of more than 3 minutes.
The website provides quick links to LFCTV, shopping, membership, tours and hospitality right from the splash page making it appealing for the users.
#2 Arsenal (8.5 million)
Website – http://www.arsenal.com/home
Arsene Wenger’s future at the club could be up for debate, but the London club definitely has a solid visitors base online with 8.5 million visitors during the observation period. Arsenal, in fact, are shaded by the no.1 team on the list by just about 0.1 million, showing their online strength.
The Arsenal site also contains a weekly podcast and the news about Arsenal Ladies team can be found on the home page itself, unlike most other websites.
#1 Manchester United (8.6 million)
Website – http://www.manutd.com/Splash-Page.aspx
Manchester United round off the English domination with 8.6 million footfalls on their website from January to June last year. The Red Devils, holding the transfer record as well for the most expensive transfer made so far when they signed Paul Pogba from Juventus last summer, are a dominant force financially as well despite the debt.
The website has the cartoon background and all the required menus properly accessible, making it a complete website in terms of visual appeal and utility. It also has a distinct “Have you seen this?” section to get everyone up to date with the latest happenings at the club.
Further, the links vary from tickets and tours to even betting and games related to the club, ensuring every relevant information a visitor can be looking forward to is available easily.
