Author: Steven Freidenrich

Intern at FanWide, New York sports fan.

Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

Top European Soccer Teams: #9 Manchester City

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

It is 2019, and Manchester City, the reigning English Premier League champions, looks poised to add another trophy to the case. The club’s 2017-2018 title was their third in the past 10 years, tying them with Chelsea and Manchester United for the most Premier League Titles in that span. Considering 60% of Manchester City’s all-time domestic league titles have been won within the past decade, it is safe to say that they are beginning to establish themselves as an English football powerhouse.

After years of living in the shadow of cross-town rival Manchester United, Manchester City’s recent success has allowed them to differentiate themselves as a club and claim some of the market for themselves. Establishing a presence in one of the most competitive regions of English football (the northwest) has given them additional access to fans and revenue, something to build upon in the future. Lead by Belgian midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City looks to stay among the top in the Premier League and make a splash in the Champion’s League in the near future. Read on to find out what makes them FanWide’s #9 European soccer team.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Manchester City game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top European Soccer Teams: #8 Juventus FC

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

With the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus FC has all but secured their next term of Italian football dominance. Juventus has been the team to beat in Italy’s Serie A for years, and adding the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has kept them atop the league standings. Ronaldo has done more for Juventus than dominate the pitch. In the 24 hours after Ronaldo’s signing, Juventus sold 520,000 Ronaldo jerseys worth over $60 million. When Barcelona signed Neymar Jr., they sold just 10,000 in the same span. In short, Juventus got what they paid for. There is a reason Ronaldo signed with Juventus. Aside from the $140 million contract, Ronaldo joined Juventus because of their tradition of success. With 34 Italian league titles, Juventus is an established European football powerhouse. Their success on and off the field has landed them the #8 spot in FanWide’s European soccer rankings. Read below to find out what makes them a top ten team, and check out this blog for more information regarding the ranking process.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Juventus FC game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top European Soccer Teams: #10 Borussia Dortmund

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

For years, FanWide has collected proprietary data surrounding fan clubs and fan engagement in each of the major sports. FanWide’s fan club network has given us unique access to metrics that measure more than just a team’s success in competition. We can now measure the strength of sports communities. Using its proprietary data, FanWide has announced its rankings for the top ten teams in various sports.

These rankings account for and weigh fan engagement, popularity, historical success, and current relevance. The result? Unique lists, based on facts and statistics, that nobody else has ever been able to cultivate. FanWide is taking its fan club network and using it alongside its deep investment in sports culture in order to bring forth an accurate representation of the sports landscape today. In our analysis of European football, Borussia Dortmund ranked 10th among international football clubs. For more about how the European soccer rankings were created, check out this blog.

FanWide’s #10 Team: Borussia Dortmund

In recent years, Borussia Dortmund has rapidly gained popularity in America. While the German club has been prominent for years in their home country, word of their success has traveled to the United States in part because of star Dortmund midfielder/winger Christian Pulisic. The 20-year-old American has established himself as a key component of Team USA. With all of his success back home, Pulisic has brought along a new wave of American Borussia Dortmund fans.

Time will tell if these fans will remain loyal once Pulisic departs for Chelsea next season, but Dortmund has made an effort to retain the fanbase. Dortmund traveled to America multiple times in the summer of 2018, making stops in Los Angeles to play Los Angeles F.C, Charlotte to play Liverpool, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, near Pulisic’s hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. All of Dortmund’s recent publicity is adding up as they become one of the elite European football clubs. Read below to find out what makes Borussia Dortmund a top ten European soccer team.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Borussia Dortmund game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Introducing the Top European Soccer Teams

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

It’s the most popular sport in the world, and second place isn’t even close. Soccer dominates everything from street corners to professional pitches across the globe. While the sport continues to grow on the professional level in the United States, mainstream soccer fandom lives elsewhere. Since its inception, each and every World Cup winner has come from either South America or Europe.

Currently, the talent is coming from these two continents, but in league play, European soccer dominates in almost every metric, in part because of their willingness to pay unprecedented amounts of money for top talent. Seeing this, FanWide began evaluating over 100 soccer clubs across 5 leagues. Eventually, we took the consensus 15 most prominent clubs from the English Premier League of England, La Liga of Spain, Bundesliga of Germany, Serie A of Italy, and Ligue 1 of France, and compiled data that has allowed us to rank the top 10 European soccer clubs.

The top 10 European soccer clubs have consistently succeeded on and off the field, balancing championship hardware and bragging rights with fan engagement and international relevance. No team on this list has one and not the other. Read below to get an inside look at how FanWide cultivated a top ten list that uses its proprietary fan data to rank teams based on more than just production on the field.

FanWide's Top 10 Euro Teams

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

Top NFL Fan Clubs: Chiefs Fans of Dallas

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

In the search for the top football fan club, FanWide has interviewed the leaders of several prominent NFL football fan clubs across the league and nation. In our blog about the Chiefs, we highlighted the growth of the Chiefs fan base. The team’s success has excited fans across the country. One prominent Chiefs fan group is the “Chiefs Fans of Dallas”. The group’s leaders gave us insight into what makes them so special.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Kansas City Chiefs game watch party or fan club near you.

FanWide asked them the following questions about what makes their club one of the top in the nation:

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

Top Football Fan Clubs: Big Easy Mafia

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

In the search for the top football fan club, FanWide has interviewed the leaders of several prominent NFL football fan clubs across the league and across the nation. In our blog about the Saints fan base, we mentioned the Big Easy Mafia, one of the largest Saints fan groups in the world. For many, when they hear “Saints” they think “Big Easy Mafia.” Leader Erick Engelhardt gave us an inside look at what has made the Big Easy Mafia such a household name for Saints fans.

Photo Courtesy of Big Easy Mafia

Visit FanWide.com to find a New Orleans Saints game watch party or fan club near you.

FanWide asked him the following questions about what makes his club one of the top clubs in the nation:

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

New York Jets NFL Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for NYJ

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

It’s been a while since Super Bowl III- the Jets lone Super Bowl win. But there is hope. The team is looking for a quarterback. Correction- the team was looking for a quarterback. After years of journeymen QB’s and young experiments, the Jets have invested heavily in one of the most highly touted quarterbacks in recent years, Sam Darnold. The rookie out of USC hasn’t had the best season in the world, but the kid is 21 years old. Analysts across the league aren’t giving up hope yet. Nobody can explain it, but he’s got that “it” factor. At this time, the NFL is a quarterback dominant league.

If you have a quarterback, you have a shot. The Jets look to build a team around the California kid, and if you’re a Jets fan, you can only hope that the search for a franchise guy ends here. There’s hope on the other side of the ball too. In only his second year, Jamal Adams has forced himself into the conversation of best safeties in the league. The young talent has reunited Jets fans; though they’ve stayed with the team through the ups and downs, it hasn’t always been easy. Now, Jets fans walk around with new confidence. Their cross-town rivals, the Giants, have been struggling as of late, and this might be the Jets chance to take over New York. 

New York Jets Fan Club of Tampa Bay enjoys a game. Photo courtesy of jets-fan.com

Visit FanWide.com to find a New York Jets game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

Jacksonville Jaguars (Jags) NFL Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for JAX

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

For any NFL team, a January without football is a January to be forgotten. Such is the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who, a year removed from an AFC championship appearance, were eliminated from playoff contention in early December. Despite the disappointing season (a 5-11 record), the Jaguars cannot be counted out in the coming years. The Jaguars still boast a formidable defense, the defining feature of their 2017-18 playoff run. Pro Football Focus’ highest ranked edge defender, Calais Campbell, and pro bowl cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, are two of the league’s premier defenders – and are both members of the Jaguars’ squad.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Jacksonville Jaguars game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

Atlanta Falcons NFL Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for ATL

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

For Falcons fans, the 2016 season was a rollercoaster of emotions. MVP Matt Ryan carried a historically good Falcons team to the Super Bowl, and, unfortunately for Falcons fans, everybody remembers the Patriots’ epic comeback. Now two years removed from their Super Bowl run, the Falcons are struggling to replicate that success.

Still, they know what it takes to make it to the big game, and they have the pieces to make the trip back. Falcons fans have been carried along for the ride and are justly hoping that their best days are ahead. And now, in a brand new, 1.2 billion dollar stadium, the Falcons fan experience is better than ever. Falcons fans are looking forward to the future, and, knowing that the 2018 season has plagued their team with injuries, they hope that this is just a bump in the road to victory.

Visit FanWide.com to find an Atlanta Falcons game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Football, watch party

New Orleans Saints NFL Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for NO

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

There are few teams in football that command as much respect as the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees is making a case to be acknowledged as the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) as he continues to lead the Saints in a record-setting career year. Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and Michael Thomas are Brees’ weapons of choice, together helping the Saints achieve one of the best records in the league.

The Saints’ recent tradition of success is no coincidence. The story goes like this. The Saints are more than an elite NFL team. They are a symbol of New Orleans, a city with one of the most unique cultures in the world. Following Hurricane Katrina, 80% of New Orleans was underwater. The Saints, displaced themselves, were looked at as a beacon of hope for the devastated city. Along came a young quarterback named Drew Brees, and the Saints hoisted the Lombardi Trophy four years later.

Visit FanWide.com to find a New Orleans Saints game watch party or fan club near you.