It is much said that any tournament or competition is incomplete without the spectators and more so, without true fans. Mohar Moghe takes a look at the fan following that I-league is getting this year and elaborates on the few fan clubs that have triggered this trend. The I-League has always been talked about as a league that does not attract fans or as something that remains a low key tournament when compared to the Indian Super league. But this is not just restricted to football. For that matter, you take the Ranji trophy in cricket and you find the same trend. The IPL tends to attract larger crowds and fan groups than the domestic tournaments. But as we say that, the high end elite private leagues have got in more people to follow the sport and have created genuine interest among people about the sport. Let us talk about the I-League now. Apart from the much talked about footballing pockets in India viz. Kolkata, Goa, Northeast and Kerala, the interest for the game elsewhere always seemed below par. Currently, Kerala does not even have a representation in the country’s premier league. But with the inception of the ISL and with emergence of new clubs in the I-League, several people have started turning up to roar for their team. Mohun Bagan has the highest fan following in India. The ‘Mariners’ as they are called, they have support in every city and by chance if there is nobody in that city to support them, the fans in other cities make it a point to travel with the team. For example, if the match is at Bengaluru, then the Bengaluru Mariners are present in numbers and so on. Snehashish, the senior member of the Pune-Mumbai Mariners says, “Football is our passion and Mohun Bagan is our pride. We are honored to be associated with a club with such rich tradition in Indian football.†Same goes for the East Bengal fans. If you ever want to see what passion is, it is worth visiting a venue where East Bengal play. It is not just the players who wear their heart on the sleeves, these fans do the same. Be it Barasat stadium or the Salt Lake stadium, when Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans come in groups, you know that you are about to witness India’s richest fan following. But this is was about the teams from Bengal and as football is religion there, we expect this, don’t we? Let us know take a look at the fan club of a team from Maharashtra. Mumbai FC has always been lingering around when it comes to the table position in the I-League. It is much said that any tournament or competition is incomplete without the spectators and more so, without true fans. Mohar Moghe takes a look at the fan following that I-league is getting this year and elaborates on the few fan clubs that have triggered this trend. The I-League has always been talked about as a league that does not attract fans or as something that remains a low key tournament when compared to the Indian Super league. But this is not just restricted to football. For that matter, you take the Ranji trophy in cricket and you find the same trend. The IPL tends to attract larger crowds and fan groups than the domestic tournaments. But as we say that, the high end elite private leagues have got in more people to follow the sport and have created genuine interest among people about the sport. Let us talk about the I-League now. Apart from the much talked about footballing pockets in India viz. Kolkata, Goa, Northeast and Kerala, the interest for the game elsewhere always seemed below par. Currently, Kerala does not even have a representation in the country’s premier league. But with the inception of the ISL and with emergence of new clubs in the I-League, several people have started turning up to roar for their team. Mohun Bagan has the highest fan following in India. The ‘Mariners’ as they are called, they have support in every city and by chance if there is nobody in that city to support them, the fans in other cities make it a point to travel with the team. For example, if the match is at Bengaluru, then the Bengaluru Mariners are present in numbers and so on. Snehashish, the senior member of the Pune-Mumbai Mariners says, “Football is our passion and Mohun Bagan is our pride. We are honored to be associated with a club with such rich tradition in Indian football.†Same goes for the East Bengal fans. If you ever want to see what passion is, it is worth visiting a venue where East Bengal play. It is not just the players who wear their heart on the sleeves, these fans do the same. Be it Barasat stadium or the Salt Lake stadium, when Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fans come in groups, you know that you are about to witness India’s richest fan following. But this is was about the teams from Bengal and as football is religion there, we expect this, don’t we? Let us know take a look at the fan club of a team from Maharashtra. Mumbai FC has always been lingering around when it comes to the table position in the I-League.
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