Luton Town Football Club have seen the largest increase in fans so far this year, with an increase of 336.4% in their social media followers from January 2023 until now.
Interested to discover which Premier League team has the largest growing fanbase, SeatPick utilised marketing analytics tool Social Blade and gathered the number of followers each team had in January 2023, and compared this to the number of followers gained by October 2023.
Highlights from the research:
- Luton Town Football Club has seen the largest increase in Instagram followers in 2023 (336.4%+), 300% higher growth than fellow recently promoted team, Burnley (35.5+)
- Brighton and Hove Albion ranks second with an increase of almost 1 million followers (986,338), and a 145.4% increase since the beginning of the year
- Nottingham Forest places third with an 87% increase in followers, gaining an impressive 472,271 new followers since the beginning of the year
- Manchester United ranks last, with an increase of just 4.1% since the beginning of the year – a 25.7% lower increase in followers than Manchester City rivals
The results: Premier League teams with the largest growing fanbase in 2023
| # | Premier League Team | Instagram Handle | January 2023 Instagram followers | October 2023 Instagram followers | Increase in followers | % Percentage increase |
| 1 | Luton Town | lutontown | 74,737 | 326,133 | 251,396 | 336.4% |
| 2 | Brighton and Hove Albion | officialbhafc | 678,247 | 1,664,585 | 986,338 | 145.4% |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | officialnffc | 543,069 | 1,015,340 | 472,271 | 87.0% |
| 4 | West Ham United | westham | 2,309,791 | 3,917,813 | 1,608,022 | 69.6% |
| 5 | Newcastle United FC | nufc | 1,372,263 | 2,311,531 | 939,268 | 68.4% |
| 6 | Fulham FC | fulhamfc | 702,652 | 1,013,394 | 310,742 | 44.2% |
| 7 | Brentord FC | brentfordfc | 336,513 | 478,042 | 141,529 | 42.1% |
| 8 | Aston Villa F.C. | avfcofficial | 2,454,812 | 3,454,674 | 999,862 | 40.7% |
| 9 | Burnley | burnleyofficial | 510,069 | 691,219 | 181,150 | 35.5% |
| 10 | Manchester City | mancity | 37,584,126 | 48,784,723 | 11,200,597 | 29.8% |
| 11 | Bournemouth FC | afcb | 662,950 | 804,983 | 142,033 | 21.4% |
| 12 | Sheffield United | sheffieldunited | 559,354 | 668,488 | 109,134 | 19.5% |
| 13 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | wolves | 2,173,962 | 2,573,257 | 399,295 | 18.4% |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | cpfc | 1,542,516 | 1,787,060 | 244,544 | 15.9% |
| 15 | Arsenal FC | arsenal | 24,075,529 | 27,776,525 | 3,700,996 | 15.4% |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | spursofficial | 14,348,450 | 16,270,515 | 1,922,065 | 13.4% |
| 17 | Chelsea FC | chelseafc | 37,043,639 | 41,214,454 | 4,170,815 | 11.3% |
| 18 | Everton FC | everton | 2,808,647 | 3,046,869 | 238,222 | 8.5% |
| 19 | Liverpool FC | Liverpoolfc | 41,185,370 | 43,331,317 | 2,145,947 | 5.20% |
| 20 | Manchester United FC | manchesterunited | 60,588,244 | 63,051,581 | 2,463,337 | 4.10% |
Luton Town is the Premier League team with the largest growing fanbase in 2023
SeatPick can reveal that Luton Town is the Premier League with the largest growing fanbase, with an increase of 336.4% in 2023. In January 2023, Luton Town were in the Championship and had 74,737 followers on Instagram, however, since being promoted to the Premier League this year—they have gained an extra 251,396 followers. Following Luton Town’s promotion, football fans became obsessed with their unique stadium away end located between houses and once inside, fans are required to climb metal stairs, where resident’s back gardens are easily visible from above.
In second place is Brighton and Hove Albion, with a 145.4% increase of Instagram followers. This is a 130% higher increase in followers than rivals Crystal Palace FC, who saw a 15.9% increase in the same period. Brighton and Hove Albion gained an impressive 986,338 followers this year, which may have been due to finishing sixth in the 22-23 season, and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League—their first ever participation in European football.
In third place is Nottingham Forest with a 87% increase in Instagram followers, gaining an impressive 472,271 new followers. This is 161,529 more followers than what Fulham FC in sixth place gained in the same period. In January 2023, Nottingham Forest had just over half a million followers (543,069), however the team now has more than 1 million (1,015,340).
Manchester United is the Premier League team with the smallest fanbase increase in 2023
Manchester United saw the smallest increase in Instagram followers in 2023, with an increase of just 4.1% since the beginning of the year. This is a 25.7% smaller increase in followers than that of rivals, Manchester City, in 10th place, who saw a 29.8% follower increase from January to October this year. Despite this, Manchester United has, however, increased its followers by almost 2.5 million this year (2,463,337).
While following Manchester United on Instagram is a great way to stay up to date with your team, nothing beats the match day experience. If you are looking to experience a match day, then make sure to check out Seatpick’s upcoming Manchester United Premier League tickets for availability.
Methodology:
- SeatPick sought to discover the Premier League teams with the Largest Growing Fanbase on Instagram in 2023.
- Using a marketing analytics website called Social Blade, SeatPick collated the number of followers each Premier League team had in January 2023, and compared this to the number of followers in October 2023.
- The percentage increase in followers was then calculated and ranked from biggest increase in followers to lowest.
- All data was collected in October 2023 and is accurate as of then. The full dataset used throughout the study can be found here.
Photo credit: Ink Drop_Shutterstock.com