When fandom and friendship find equal favour

It’s all about brotherhood,” they say, as they raise their banners and sing lustily from the stands, watching their team take a lap of honour around the stadium and applauding the crowd for their support. “We like to think of ourselves as the twelfth man who inspires the team when they are chasing a game and celebrates with them equally after a famous win. In fact, we don’t consider ourselves as just fans… we are part of the family. We don’t answer to the sponsors, management or have any agenda; we put our own heart and soul, and our hard-earned money, into ensuring our team is the best represented.”

Welcome to the world of sporting fan clubs, comprising devoted Chennaiites from every walk of life, who spend huge chunks of their week, not only watching their favourite teams’ matches live (inside the stadium or at screenings) but also enjoying each other’s company in their shared fandom.

From college students and working professionals to teenagers and grandfathers — these forums have no age restrictions and zero internal politics or hierarchy, they say. While cricket and football continue to occupy pride of place when it comes to support, even the likes of kabaddi, hockey and tennis find strong calling.

Chennai Super Kings superfan Saravanan is almost as famous as some of the players themselves for his antics with the Whistle Podu Army – CSK Fan Club, which is much-loved across the entire city. “I have been watching matches since 2008. Since 2013, a group of us fans always went to the games together. That’s when I started the body painting as well. When CSK faced a ban, we started the Save CSK campaign on social media and we were able to get a lot of traction organically. We got thousands of signatures. In 2016, we decided to formalise the CSK Fan Club and got it registered.”

“Apart from watching matches we also engage in various activities. For players’ birthdays, we collect contributions and then distribute items to orphanages and old age homes, based on their requirements. We have a strict policy against crackers, banners and wasting of funds. Instead of spending Rs 1,000 on crackers we would rather feed 10 people or distribute chocolates to 1,000 children,” he adds.

Even during off season, they are still fans of cricket, following team India and also other countries’ CSK players when they play. “The most memorable moment for us is when the CSK returned to the IPL this year. Since the matches were shifted due to the Cauvery protests, the club arranged for us to attend matches in Pune. We got to travel with other fans on the Whistle Podu Express and that was an experience of a lifetime. We bonded with many new fans and it made the whole trip memorable,” Saravanan recalls, with a smile.

ISL team Chennaiyin FC, the defending champions, is not far behind with their support. The B-Stand Blues are notorious for their vociferous cheering, with their core members ensuring they pull out all the stops during home games. “When it comes to our rivals like Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters, we really want our fandom to trump theirs,” says Sanandh Avinash, one of the core team. They also organise FIFA gaming contests and five-a-side Futsal tournaments as well, with prizes such as Chennaiyin season tickets being awarded to the winners. “Our team’s form this season has been disappointing, but we have the players to still pick it up and make the play-offs. After that, anything is possible,” he quips.

Supermachans is the other fan group of Chennaiites, renowned for their epic banners at games that truly give the team a massive-leg up against the rivals, apart from infuriating them. Raghul Anthony, one of the admins, says that he first fell in love with the whole idea of a fan club while attending his first screening at a café — and the rest was history.

“Today, we even have wings of our fan club in Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Kerala, Bengaluru, etc. Such is our reach. The volume of students in our group is colossal. Our banners are legendary for their messages now and the players acknowledge them. We put our own money and hard work towards promoting the team for the love of the game. We even travel with them when they play outside the city. Tell me, shouldn’t we be considered family,” he asks. Their banter on social media with fans of rivals also grabs eyeballs. “Sometimes, they take it too far and there have been instances of opposing club fans even reporting us,” Raghul adds, with a grin.

Surprisingly, even the Pro-Kabaddi league team Tamil Thalaivas, that is just a season and a half old, has a fan club. Tamil Veerans is a classic example of how sport-crazy the city of Chennai is, and how enthusiasts are prepared to extend their support all the way.

One of the founding members, Dinesh Raj, says, “We all met randomly at the stadium during the first season and instantly clicked. From then on, it was simply about creating a WhatsApp group and getting the word out. Today, we have around 100 members and around 25-30 of us attend matches regularly. Kabaddi being such an integral part of TN’s sporting history, deserves willing fans, and we are here to promote it.”

With body paint and local chants, the fan club has earned the praise of the Tamil Thalaivas players and in specific, the team captain Ajay Thakur. “He said the reception he received in Chennai was far superior to any audience all over India, and that really motivated us. The team and the fans are in a nascent stage — we will grow with every season,” Dinesh says proudly. The fandom extends to sporting teams outside India as well. With Premier League football enjoying massive support here, professional clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool have official fan clubs here – that are recognised by the brands themselves in England.

Nijom Kumar, President of the Chennai Manchester United Supporter’s Club, says, “We started in 2007, and the Facebook group was formed in 2011, and screenings were frequently conducted from then. We have over 4,000 fans on Facebook, and 60 official Manchester United membership holders — we were certified official last season, and it was a huge honour for us. The Chennai Supportersclub is listed atManutd.com.”

They organise up to 15 screenings a season and often get together to play football. “The atmosphere during screenings is special, and we all buy the club’s merchandise and jerseys to flaunt it every year,” said Nijom.

The members of most of these sporting groups eventually grow to be friends outside the games too — often catching up to play matches themselves or just hang out. Prasanna, a CSK fan, who is also a Roger Federer supporter and watches the Swiss tennis champ’s games every tournament with his group ‘R-Fed Army’ at pubs in the city — “We have all found so many genuine friends through our shared support for a team. You may change your job, your home, or even your wife, but never your favourite team or sportsperson! That’s what makes these relationships special – they last a lifetime.”