The Nigeria Professional Football League is the Premier football league in the west African country, a country that is well known for its love for football.
Not only do Nigerians love football, but they also support their national team, and follow the biggest leagues in Europe and continental competitions.
However, contrary to perceptions by a lot of people, Nigerians actually support their local League sides.
It’s not surprising to see packed stadiums when some particular teams play. The claims of lack of fans at NPFL venues and clubs are majorly due to the lack of TV coverage of the NPFL.
However, let’s break the hoax and tell you the five Nigeria Professional Football League Clubs with the most fans.
Top 5 Nigeria Professional Football League Clubs with the most fans
Enyimba
- Founded: 1976
- Stadium Capacity: 16,000
- Owner: Abia State Government
The most successful and also the most professional Nigerian club side Enyimba tops this list. Truth is, in the previous years deep into the late 80s down to the late 90s, the club was not that popular.
However, for whatever reason why they are named the people’s elephant, it fits like a glove. Success has many friends, isn’t it?
The ABA Elephants have become everyone’s Elephants and this came around in the early 2000s when they won back-to-back titles in the CAF Champions League.
The club hasn’t enjoyed the same range of success as they used to do but they still command cult followership at home thanks to multiple NPFL titles which is now a League record and also social media branding, one of the top three in the country and a revamped Stadium which holds 16,000 fans.
Enyimba’s games are seen in the stadium and in every corner of Nigeria and on TV (if available), they are the team everyone wants to beat. Their social media pages including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are up-to-date and active with followers running into Millions.
Enugu Rangers
- Founded: 1970
- Stadium Capacity: 22,000
- Owner: Enugu State Government.
In their over 50 years of existence, Enugu Rangers International has managed to remain in the top flight and is the only side yet to be ever relegated.
All through the years, they have managed to earn loyal fans across the country including abroad. The flying Antelopes dominated the early 70s down to the late 80s while also playing on the continent.
They have seven NPFL titles with the last coming in 2016, a time when supporters came on board to see the final game of the season at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium, venue fans filled for every home game that season and including late-night kick-offs.
Now under reconstruction, fans find it difficult to go to the stadium and support their darling team while their social media presence isn’t as strong as others but as a traditional club and one of the old skools, Rangers are well supported.
Shooting Stars
- Founded: 1950
- Stadium Capacity: 10,000
- Owner: Oyo State Government
Here is another club side that has stood the test of decades and still resonates well with its local supporters who, through thick and thin, stayed and travelled with the team.
The Adamasingba stadium may hold ten thousand people per game but more than that hold 3SC at heart home and abroad. The club have gone promoted and relegated in recent years but they never lacked support.
Even during the rainy days in the lower division of the Nigeria National League, fans travel with Shooting stars to neighbouring states in Ogun, Lagos, and Osun states for local Derbies.
Meanwhile, the club remains one of the very few clubs that have a fan base that are vocal and influences the state government to do their bidding on few occasions.
Furthermore, it’s important to state that the followership for 3SC is often hereditary as parents and grandparents, who followed the team successful years as one of the respected teams not only in Nigeria but also in Africa, influence their offspring who also take the club as a Darling.
Kano Pillars
- Founded: 1990
- Stadium Capacity: 16,000
- Owner: Kano State Government
Located in a football-mad Northern region of the country, Kano Pillars is the most successful club in that region. Owned by the state government with a 16,000-capacity, the Sani Abacha stadium is not a venue you would want to play at often.
There is always a loud roaring home crowd waiting to cheer the Sai Masu Gida to victory. One of the most successful NPFL sides and the last to win three back-to-back NPFL titles.
Their online presence Is not strong and so cannot determine but what you can be assured of is that from Kano to Lagos, down to Abuja and some parts of the South East and South, there are Kano Pillars fans waiting.
One of the reasons blamed for the team’s recent drop into the second division is their long stay away from the Sani Abacha stadium due to Covid-19 initially and then later on to bans by the League Management Company.
Remo Stars
- Founded: 2010
- Stadium Capacity: 5000
- Owner: Kunle Soname
A well-set out plan, strategic management, and proper funding as well as one key decision have helped the fortunes of Remo Stars as a football club.
A lot of private clubs in the country are setting the standards for their government-owned counterparts to follow in terms of branding, use of social media, and professionalism.
Remo Stars is a unique group that has Vandrezzer FC, and Sporting Lagos among others. While their style of running the club and social media presence has earned them a number of fans, the other two do not have as many as Remo stars.
As earlier stated, one key decision made this happen, the citing of Remo Stars in the Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State which is also the place of origin for the owner Kunle Soname.
Since the move of the then DENDERS FC from Lagos to Ikenne, and a name change to Remo Stars, the Remo indigenes around Ikenne, Ijebu Ode (which once served as their home ground), Shagamu and even Lagos and environs see the club as a people’s project.
The Remo Stars stadium Is one of the newly constructed stadiums in the country and at 5,000 capacity, it’s always filled on matchdays.
Fans identify with the club by buying merchandise and following very active social media handles of the club.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
