Social Engagement Rankings: Aston Villa Trend After Tim Sherwood Appointment

Aston Villa had quite a stunning week on social media with a 165 per cent spike in engagement prompted by the appointment of new manager Tim Sherwood.

ListenFIrst

Villa lead the trending stakes this week, with Benfica and New York City FC—recent guests of parent club Manchester City—completing the top three.

There was little change in the overall table. Barcelona remain on top, with Real Madrid second. Arsenal moved up a place, leapfrogging Bayern Munich, and we also saw Borussia Dortmund return to the top 10.

In the ever-evolving sports industry, where far more fans are captivated on a smartphone than in a stadium, Bleacher Report has teamed up with ListenFirst Media to keep a finger on the pulse of the digital arena. Every Wednesday, ListenFirst Media will provide Bleacher Report with its Digital Engagement Ratings for soccer clubs, a syndicated rating system for digital fan engagement—think decibel meter on the Jumbotron. ListenFirst Digital Engagement Ratings aggregate engagement data across the most critical and widely trafficked digital platforms to assess the level of fan engagement generated by the leading franchises.