Why ISL franchisee owners and IMG-REL should be very worried?
(And the Bengaluru FC data shows a big 'Missed" opportunity for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan OR how i-League can fulfill potential with proper marketing & scheduling)
As the fan fare is settling down for the current edition, we received the first set of attendance data for ISL 2017-18. And the results are extremely disappointing [To see the relative comparison on Year over Year, click on the chart image below]
Here is what it looks like for each team:
1. KERALA BLASTERS: Blasters still lead the charge but average attendance is down 25% from last year and is almost one-third of 2015
2. ATK: Eyewitnesses questioned ATK attendance record and 'free' entry to boost attendance. 2016 was played in RS (smaller stadium). Even with questionable record, attendance is down 24% than 2015
3. JAMSHEDPUR FC: Debutants are generating commendable gate sales. This is a Tier 2 city with lower availability of alternative entertainment and may be able to sustain football mania
4. NE UNITED FC: NE was one of the rare teams that showed an increase in 2016 (as compared to 2015). 2017 shows a sharp decline of 29%
5. FC GOA: Goa attendance had been moderate throughout; but is able to sustain in all three years
6. BENGALURU FC: There is a sharp increase as compared to numbers from i-League last year. An increase of 109% may be attributed to better promotion and prime time scheduling. This is a clear pointer of how East Bengal and Mohun Bagan may gain from joining ISL (or conversely if a level playing field is applicable in i-League how much missed potential can be redeemed)
7. CHENNAIYIN FC: After holding a steady attendance for last two years, 2017 edition shows a 21% decrease
8. DELHI DYNAMOS FC: A sharp 45% decline may be because of environmental factors of New Delhi
9. FC PUNE CITY: Remained steady at a low level
10. MUMBAI CITY FC: 2016 saw a sharp 67% drop from 2015; and 2017 is down further 10%.
Overall, considering the 8 ‘original’ franchisees; the attendance is down 29% between 2015 and this year.
Let’s now move into the Television ratings (BARC ratings). For three weeks, ISL failed to break into top 5 except for the opening ceremony; and is beaten by inconsequential test match between India and Sri Lanka and WWE wrestling hands down.
These are large warning signs for IMG-REL and the franchisees. I am sure several of the sponsors and advertisers will take note. It is crystal clear that ISL is losing ground; steadily and fast.
via Satyaki Das.
ISL turning into new NFL.
OMG, besides Delhi Dynamos and maybe NorthEast United, the rest are fine. ATK didn't bring in over 50,000 like before but they still brought in a decent amount against Pune City. Attendance everywhere else is fine and everything is more representative of the initial shine waring off... this should have always been predicted.
God, Indian football is so pessimistic. We have teams from Chennai and Bengaluru averaging over 15,000, Jamshedpur is over 20,000! And Kerala Blasters, I love how much the writer of this article forgot to look into how the capacity of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has also fallen from last season, from 61,000 to 39,000... of course you will see a decrease. Same with NorthEast United.
Look, the ISL is about to go through a lot. With the seasons now becoming longer, more time in between games, and more and more the shine wares off, we are going to see things like attendances drop and it is up to the clubs themselves to help themselves and not let that happen and start developing proper fans.
Bengaluru FC didn't create their fanbase by doing nothing. Bangalore went from HAL SC drawing a few hundred people to drawing thousands of super amazing fans from marketing their team, partnering with local sponsors, and investing in their product. Now look at them, 5th season going strong.
What I do think will need to happen soon is a focus on smaller football-specific grounds. Massive athletic grounds will not work. ISL teams won't be able to bring in the fanbases needed for that, there will be so many empty patches during games, and it just doesn't look good. Small 20,000 seat stadiums would be amazing for ISL and should be what they look at. Kerala Blasters are fine in Kochi but teams like Chennaiyin, Delhi Dynamos, and even Bengaluru can't stay in those big places forever.
ATK lack of attendance was visible, and I attribute that to because of not projecting Ganguly enough. In fact, the general lowering of attendance in matches other than the opening ceremony points out only one thing: people want more of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif than the insipid play displayed in the matches. Also, controversies like Goa vs Chennaiyin helped a lot, controversies like that is not in this year (Samihg Doutie is too small a fry to generate enough ripple).
My suggestions: stage Bollywood dances and choreographies during the break, create more off-field controversies, get more Bollywood owners. STAR sound mixing team is doing a good job, though.
I hope that is sarcastic from you Deb, I will assume it is consider your disdain for the league.
Honestly for ATK it is the lack of promotion and lack of any identity. Why should anyone support ATK? East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are playing at the same times and pretty much have the grand majority of football support in the city. ATK doesn't even stand for anything! They need either massively rebrand themselves to get them an identity as a 3rd team in Kolkata, relocate to a place where they could potentially tap into a new fanbase, or disband completely.
Comments
God, Indian football is so pessimistic. We have teams from Chennai and Bengaluru averaging over 15,000, Jamshedpur is over 20,000! And Kerala Blasters, I love how much the writer of this article forgot to look into how the capacity of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has also fallen from last season, from 61,000 to 39,000... of course you will see a decrease. Same with NorthEast United.
Look, the ISL is about to go through a lot. With the seasons now becoming longer, more time in between games, and more and more the shine wares off, we are going to see things like attendances drop and it is up to the clubs themselves to help themselves and not let that happen and start developing proper fans.
Bengaluru FC didn't create their fanbase by doing nothing. Bangalore went from HAL SC drawing a few hundred people to drawing thousands of super amazing fans from marketing their team, partnering with local sponsors, and investing in their product. Now look at them, 5th season going strong.
What I do think will need to happen soon is a focus on smaller football-specific grounds. Massive athletic grounds will not work. ISL teams won't be able to bring in the fanbases needed for that, there will be so many empty patches during games, and it just doesn't look good. Small 20,000 seat stadiums would be amazing for ISL and should be what they look at. Kerala Blasters are fine in Kochi but teams like Chennaiyin, Delhi Dynamos, and even Bengaluru can't stay in those big places forever.
wap.business-standard.com/article/companies/hero-isl-viewership-reaches-81-mn-in-3-weeks-117121200075_1.html
My suggestions: stage Bollywood dances and choreographies during the break, create more off-field controversies, get more Bollywood owners. STAR sound mixing team is doing a good job, though.
Honestly for ATK it is the lack of promotion and lack of any identity. Why should anyone support ATK? East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are playing at the same times and pretty much have the grand majority of football support in the city. ATK doesn't even stand for anything! They need either massively rebrand themselves to get them an identity as a 3rd team in Kolkata, relocate to a place where they could potentially tap into a new fanbase, or disband completely.