August is drawing to a close and to some, that can only mean one thing; the start of the 2015/16 English Premier League football season. And so begins nine months of action on the pitch and just as much, if not more, interest in the game off the pitch. From the money taken on the gates every week to sponsorship deals, football is big business. Players are worshipped and berated by fans in equal measure, but either way you can’t deny these men hold huge amounts of sway with the football watching pubic.

But does how they perform on the pitch have any direct impact on their level of influence off it?  To monitor the rise (and fall) of the online influence of those playing in the EPL, Rise are proud to announce the launch of The Premier League Players Power 100.  We will be monitoring the online influence ranking of every player and can’t wait to see how their performance with the ball affects their social media influence this season.

This week’s board makes for interesting reading already, with an unsurprising top place going to football’s richest player Wayne Rooney. All the big club names are represented in the top 10; Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool. But so is current number 19 position Sunderland. Jermaine Defoe is clearly making an online name for himself. Great exposure for him, but also for his bottom of the league club.

You can follow the Premier League Power 100 and get weekly notifications of who’s influencing social media this week. Think you’re an influential football fan? Why not join our Most Influential Fans board and see how you rank against the big names, and each other?