Last season in top flight? Three reasons why I-league 2018-19 was special

1. Attendance figures surpassing Indian Super League’s

The ISL attendance figures have been steadily declining since the 2014-15 season, when it stood at 26,000.

This season, however, the figure has more than halved.

The average attendance stands at a paltry 11,634 this season.

NorthEast United’s rise saw the club witness an increase of 5,000 from last season’s figure whereas ATK saw a bump of nearly 6,000.

Jamshedpur managed to bring in over 20,000 fans for the second season running.

However, heavyweights Bengaluru and Chennaiyin combined to lose 8,000 in average attendance during league stages.

Kerala Blasters’ mismanagement saw the club drop from 32,000 to a measly 17,000.

I-League, meanwhile, saw attendance figures shoot up despite the games’ being held predominantly during afternoons and evenings.

Gokulam Kerala, Neroca, East Bengal and, most notably, Real Kashmir all drew five-figure attendances rather consistently.

East Bengal, in particular, drew 64,867 fans for their home derby, which saw them defeat Mohun Bagan 3-2. Over 43,000 fans witnessed their 1-1 draw with Churchill Brothers.

They averaged 27,170 per match, a stark contrast to what they’d managed over the last four seasons (7000, 9000, 13,000 and 17,000).

Reducing I-League to a second-tier competition can’t come at a worse time, as it’s now gaining in popularity like never before.