FANS' CORNER                                                                                               FANs' SPEAK

In these days of social networking, the inter-action between football fans and their respective clubs has greatly altered. Football fans are much more proactive in their involvement and association with their football clubs. They like forum where they can express their views, interview players, and maintain a record of the club’s matches and goal-scorers for the season. Hence increasingly the websites of all major football clubs in the world have a section for their fans.

Prior to the availability of the internet, the interaction of fans with their football clubs was mostly as supporters in home and sometimes to away matches. Some fans would attend practice sessions of their clubs and occasionally celebrate a birthday or an award given to favourite player. The more organized professional clubs of Europe had special stores selling the club’s merchandise, which was a source of profit and a place for the fans to congregate especially before matches. Such relationships still exist but increasingly football fans interact on the club’s website. In a globalised world, more and more people are leaving the city of their birth to work elsewhere. Hence a Fans section in a club’s website is a necessity now.