Vandrezzer FC, the newly formed Nigeria National League club based in the South Eastern Nigerian city of Ikot Ekpene have made an audacious appearance in the latest Africa Football Digital Benchmark released by RESULT Sports and Digital Sports Africa, jumping to 37th position. Vandrezzer usurped the top Nigerian position from two-times CAF winners and seven-times winners of the Nigerian Premier League, Enyimba.

The “Lions” have only been in existence for one year and are setting new standards in professional football marketing with their embrace of digital marketing.

Mario Leo, CEO of RESULT Sports, remarked: “It’s great to see Vandrezzer driving social media growth to the maximum and something we observed in many ‘younger’ African teams, such as Cape Town City FC & Pyramids. The next step will be the conversion of the online following into stadium visits and merchandise efforts. Congrats to Vandrezzer!!”

Emeka Enyadike  Director of Digital Sports Africa:  “This is an impressive start for Vandrezzer and it shows they understand the importance of fan engagement and hopefully, they will keep building on what they have achieved. What is remarkable is that they are not in the Premier League, so this should jolt the Premier League clubs in Nigeria.”

Top places in the digital benchmark have traditionally been held by Egyptian and South African teams with large international fan bases and substantial marketing budgets. Social media and online marketing efforts have become crucial to fan engagement, particularly with the interruptions and social distancing brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.