On February 15, as India and Pakistan faced off in a marquee T20 World Cup clash in Colombo, more than 11,000 football fans assembled at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium to watch Bengaluru FC begin its Indian Super League (ISL) campaign against Sporting Club Delhi.

An India-Pakistan clash – however frequent and uncompetitive it may have become in recent times – generally brings the whole country to a standstill. But this unwritten rule did not apply to those thousands of boisterous, football-hungry fans who had converged in the heart of the city.

The following Sunday, when BFC took on NorthEast United FC, more than 13,000 thronged the venue despite another high-profile World Cup cricket match – between India and South Africa – being held on the same day.

The numbers in subsequent matches at the Kanteerava kept growing. More than 20,000 people came to watch BFC play Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and there were over 21,000 fans for the Kerala Blasters fixture.

The Blasters contest on April 11 (Saturday), in fact, clashed with India’s most sought-after evening entertainment programme in the summer – the Indian Premier League (IPL). Yet, fans opted to savour football action in person rather than be glued to their television sets at home.

These instances have given rise to multiple interesting questions – is football carving out a niche under the giant shadow of cricket? What in-stadia experience is attracting the enthusiasts? And, is this a sign that a sports-watching, stadium-going culture independent of cricket can mushroom?

Fan engagement

“BFC has done a really good job of engaging with the fans,” said Pradhyum Reddy, an assistant coach at the outfit from its inception in 2013 until 2016, and someone who has donned the roles of technical director and CEO at multiple clubs.

“Their social media game is second to none. It’s not just social media for the sake of it, and they don’t do clickbait stuff.

“The other thing is, it’s probably the second generation of fans who are coming in. Kids who were ball boys or mascots in the early years at BFC, some of them are now playing in the ISL, like BFC’s Vinith Venkatesh and NorthEast United’s Macarton Nickson. There is also the BFC Soccer Schools academy and programme. So, they have connected well with the city.

“It’s not happened overnight. This is what 13 years of building towards something can do,” 49-year-old Reddy added.

At the start of the season though, there was an atmosphere of nervous apprehension. Top-flight football generally kicks off in September, but the 2025-26 ISL was put on hold for five long months because FSDL – a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Star Sports, which ran the ISL for a decade – and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) failed to renew the Master Rights Agreement before it expired in December 2025.

When the league finally started in mid-February, following many months of litigation in the Supreme Court of India and intervention from the Union Sports Ministry, it was in a truncated format.

The 14 teams in the fray should have ideally played 26 matches (13 home and 13 away), but in the ongoing campaign, they were playing each other just once, amounting to only 13 outings overall.

Soaring attendance

Yet, attendances have gone up. In 2024-25, when BFC finished a worthy runner-up to Mohun Bagan, an average of 12,687 fans per game flocked to the Kanteerava, according to football statistics website transfermarkt. This season, that number has risen to 15,357.

BFC may have played 14 matches at home last campaign compared to just six this time around, but the interest has been palpable.

“It’s amazing because after the stop-start-stop nature [of the build up], we weren’t quite sure,” Sunil Chhetri, Indian football legend and BFC captain, told The Hindu.

“In the dressing room, we players thought it might not be the same. Last year, we were winning games and playing well. This year, because there was no clarity, we thought people weren’t probably going to come.

“But my appetite when it comes to fans at the Kanteerava is always huge. I always expect and dream that they are going to come, and that’s what happened,” the 41-year-old gushed.

Low ticket pricing

For ardent BFC supporter Nishanth Barke, the biggest reason for the healthy swelling of the crowd was the low ticket prices and the ease of availability. He is a member of the famed West Block Blues fan group, which keeps the west stand of the Kanteerava lively and vivacious.

“The prices had increased a lot during the previous seasons, and you could see a drop in attendance except for the big games,” opined Barke. “This season, when the prices were kept at ₹500 for West Block, and even less for the other stands (some as low as ₹49), you could see many non-football fans also coming.

“We also need to appreciate the BFC media team’s strategy of collaborating with Instagram influencers. This ensured that the franchise content was always on people’s feeds. With fewer home games, and the content, people wanted to witness a game before the season ended,” he added.

The scheduling helped too. All six of BFC’s home ties this season were played during weekends, and two of the club’s biggest rivals, Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters, visited Kanteerava, driving up the interest further.

Good weather

“Bangalore also has the advantage of good weather and a five-o’clock match, even in April and May, is a great time to watch,” said Reddy. “You finish the match and there is UB City around the corner. Or, you can go for an afternoon stroll in the nearby Cubbon Park. You can make a day out of it.

“It is among the best match-day experiences in the ISL. It’s kids-friendly, women are there, and it is a really good atmosphere.”

It is noteworthy that BFC has attracted audiences despite its home form being patchy at best – one win, three draws and two losses. Reddy credited former India captain Renedy Singh, who was the coach for the first four games at Kanteerava before Spaniard Pep Munoz took over, for playing a role in this.

“BFC under Renedy played decent football. It was attractive, exciting, and there was a lot of goal-mouth action. Youngsters were involved, there was someone from the academy playing, and people came to watch them. You have to give a brand of entertainment that makes fans come to the stadium, and I think Renedy did that.”

Unlike earlier times, a significant portion of the current season has overlapped with the IPL. As long as both IPL and ISL were in the custody of a single broadcaster (Star network), the competitions seldom ran simultaneously, with the assumption – not entirely without basis – being that there wouldn’t be enough eyeballs for football.

In 2021-22 and 2022-23, not a single IPL and ISL match clashed. In 2023-24, there was nearly a month’s overlap but that was because the ISL had to take a break in January 2024 for the AFC Asian Cup. In 2024-25, only the five playoff contests were played concurrently with the IPL.

However, at a time when there are signs of fan fatigue affecting cricket, the missteps in football governance in India and the entry of streaming platform FanCode as the new broadcast partner may have inadvertently unlocked a hitherto unimaginable future of co-existence.

Interestingly, BFC met FC Goa in the first leg of their semi-final at the Kanteerava on April 2, 2025. The same evening, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played Gujarat Titans in an IPL game at the adjacent M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. That did not stop nearly 20,000 people from turning the football arena into a raucous theatre. In hindsight, that evening was a clear cue.

“The people of Bengaluru love sports, and they support the teams that represent the city,” said Yashas, an avid BFC follower. “Be it RCB or even Bengaluru Bulls [in the Pro Kabaddi League]. Last year, for the Neeraj Chopra Classic [javelin throw event], more than 14,000 people turned up. So, you can clearly see people love sports here.”

Organic fandom

This organic fandom has warmed the heart of Darren Caldeira, the director of football at BFC. The uncertainity surrounding ISL’s commencement meant that Caldeira and his team couldn’t let anticipation build, a prerequisite for lasting fan engagement.

Once the dates were announced, there was just enough time to get the stadium ready, spruce up the grass turf and liaise with local government agencies regarding logistics and permissions.

After the death of 11 persons in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in June 2025 during RCB’s title-win celebrations, protocols with respect to crowd management were made stricter for all venues.

“Bengaluru was starved of football. Not just club football, but even the national team didn’t have anything here,” said Caldeira. “So, once the season started, and every time there was a home game, we tried to create a vibe by having activities, say at the concourse.

“It could also be something as simple as sipping coffee at Konark restaurant and chatting about the game. Even some conversations between fans and the management.

“Because, it’s not just about a fan purchasing a ticket, watching a game and leaving. They have to come in with this feeling of ‘well, we belong here, and the club is ours, and we want to meet our people’. Kudos to the fans for joining in and doing this together,” the 38-year-old added.

How to sustain it

However, to sustain this positivity, authorities running Indian football have to get their acts together. After the exit of FSDL, the search for a new commercial partner is on. There is ambiguity regarding when the league would begin, how many teams will participate, and what the format will be.

“Only if you have that clarity can clubs plan for recruiting good coaches and players, sending out the schedule, and do the things that will build up anticipation,” said Reddy.

“When are the matches against Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters, and when can one travel to watch the match against FC Goa? These are the things that help create a buzz, and are thus very important.”

The foundation for growth is clearly there. It is time to build a solid edifice.