Press Release

Mumbai, 27 November 2014

Hero ISL hits 1 million live fan mark; competition now 4th
best league in the world by average attendance
A staggering 1 million fans have so far thronged stadia across the country to watch the
ongoing Hero Indian Super League, as Indias most-watched football league sets yet another
benchmark in its inaugural season. This landmark achievement continues to signal the
countrywide excitement for the League, and is a further proof point in the organisers'
determination to herald the 'birth of a football nation'
Furthermore, the average match attendance recorded by the Hero ISL since its inaugural tie
on Oct. 12th till yesterdays match between FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC at 24,357
reinforces its position as the highest across the whole of Asia. The Hero ISL also makes it
mark against the major global leagues and has surpassed Italy's Serie A in average
attendance to become the fourth best in world football. The league now trails only
Germany's Bundesliga, the Barclays Premier League and Spains La Liga in terms of average
attendance.
Hero Indian Super League kicked off with 65,000 people attending the opening game
between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC on 12 th Oct 2014, while a crowd of over
49,000 turned up on 6th November to watch the Kerala Blasters FC vs. FC Goa game in Kochi.
That number swelled to over 57,000 when the Kerala Blasters FC played host to Atletico de
Kolkata recently, surpassing expectations and serving up an electric atmosphere inside the
ground.
Packed stadia in the last night match in Goa, having 19,752 fans in attendance, has brought
the Hero ISL cumulative attendance figure to 9 lakh 98 thousand just 2,000 short of the 1
million mark. With todays Match No 42 scheduled at Guwahati between NorthEast United
FC Vs Chennaiyin FC, Hero ISL is set to surpass the mark of hosting 1 million live fans. The
crowd numbers seen at Hero ISL matches is testament to the sustained popularity of the
League which continues to pull in ever-greater crowds past its halfway mark.
Fans attending the matches are also diverse, with football purists alongside those new to
the sport as well as families turning out in force at the stadia. Apart from the chance to
watch some of footballs greatest legends take to the field, some high-quality international
players and the emergence of Indian stars, the dramatically improved stadia facilities and

overall entertainment offer are proving to be major draws for the crowds. Tickets have also
been sold at various price-points in keeping with the Hero ISLs aims of taking football to the
widest possible audience.
The Leagues ambitious broadcast plan, with the ISL telecast live across eight channels in
five languages, is another major factor in driving crowd attendance. Fans across the country,
eager to experience the noise and excitement typical of the Hero ISL, have gone to a live
football match for the first time after watching the games on their TV screens.
We are delighted to have hosted 1 million fans across the eight stadiums already in our first
season and are proud to be counted as the worlds fourth best football league in terms of
average attendance. We have always believed that the sport of football, if given the right
platform, has the potential for tremendous growth in India, a Hero ISL spokesperson said.
With the first season of the Hero ISL now drawing closer to its business end and fans
starting to build an affinity for their local clubs and heroes, the numbers are only expected to
swell further. Hero ISL in its first year has taken a massive step towards driving the birth of
India as a footballing nation and promises to scale greater heights in the years to come.
The Hero ISL is already the most watched non-cricketing sport in India with 364 million
viewers tuning in to catch the action live on their TV sets. The League has also dominated
social media trends notching up over 7.7 billion impressions on Facebook and Twitter.
The Hero Indian Super League is being beamed across a global audience, expanding the
reach of the most exciting new football league across 5 continents and in 23 languages. In
India the Hero Indian Super League is being telecast live on eight channels across five
languages on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star
Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and
Suvarna Plus (Kannada). It is also available live on www.starsports.com
--For further information, pls contact:
INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE
Leeladhar Singh, M: +91 7738216155, E: leeladhar.singh@ril.com
ADFACTORS PR
Hardik Desai, M: 9819699125,
Abhay Bhow, M: 9892751311,
E: sports@adfactorspr.com