Aston Villa Football Club fail to make FanSided’s Fandom 250
By Josh Tonti
Disappointment! FanSided’s annual top-250 ranking of fandoms in the world did not include our near and dear, Aston Villa Football Club. In full, eight global soccer teams made the cut.
It’s been awhile since the stated 42,689 max-capacity at Villa Park reached its apex. Despite regular crowds of 30,000+, Aston Villa Football Club failed to make FanSided’s Fandom 250 – an annual project adjudging the best followings in the world from sports, culture and television.
It is no real surprise the claret and blue fail to make the list, however. For a second consecutive season, Villa toil away in the EFL Championship, England’s second rung of football. Premier League glory, and the T.V. money and exposure it encompasses, bring real publicity to the average follower.
In fact, three of Fandom 250’s eight soccer teams ply their trade in the English Premier League.
The United States Women’s National Team begin the soccer community list at 206th-place. The Men’s FIFA World Cup takes place this summer, and international eyes will be watching, but the USWNT look to defend their crown in the summer of 2019.
The Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer follow at 189th, where raucous crowds at Providence Park are found weekly. The “Yellow Wall” of Westfalenstadion propel Borussia Dortmund to 136th in the rankings.
Arsenal make a big jump in the overall rankings into 67th-place, despite several years worth of mediocre (comparatively speaking) play under tenured manager Arsène Wenger. Of note, Arsenal has a huge online social media following. The Premier League’s two other sides followed closely; Liverpool comes in at 57th and Manchester United finish 43rd.
The top two sides were never really in doubt. Barcelona and Real Madrid 32nd and 28th, respectively to round out the soccer community.
Remember Villa owner Dr. Tony Xia’s goal when he took over in the summer of 2016? He wanted Aston Villa back into European competition within five years. While it’s looking brighter for the club making it back to top-division in Year 2, anything is far from certain. Perhaps then, Villa will make the Fandom 250.