NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - I have always avoided this contentious and potentially explosive argument over who has the best fans in the women's game.

But, it's something that I get asked relatively often, normally from people who are not women's basketball fans, or not fans of our sport.

I suppose I should immediately clarify that in this column, I am referring only to European clubs, since this is the area of the globe that I know best. Secondly, I must forcefully explain how I understand it is completely subjective and as far as I am concerned, all fans of every club who support female hoops get a thumbs up and thanks from me.

I can only use very loose criteria to make any kind of judgement - namely, the collective sum of numbers, consistency of numbers, as well as their noise and passion. Here are the contenders I would have in mind - in alphabetical order.

Bourges Basket

There is no denying that Bourges tick every single box of the criteria. Their supporters are passionate, certainly know their basketball, turn out consistently in strong numbers and have a long and prestigious tradition which goes way back. When the fantastic 'Le Prado' Arena is full or close to capacity, it is a wonderful sight and looks beautiful with the distinctive orange and black colors.

What also strikes me about Bourges and how brilliant their fans are, is that it goes beyond the game itself. There is a big community of volunteers and the game day operations sees many of the fans spend time in the giant eateries inside Le Prado. There is a real sense of occasion to any game day or game night, and I love the fact that perhaps more than any other club, there is not only a great family feel, but a noticeably older profile of fans, many of whom have lived on a women's basketball diet for decades, thus feeding into my point about being incredibly knowledgeable as a crowd in general!

Fenerbahce

Famous worldwide because of the dedication, loyalty and intense passion for all sports that display their beloved Fenerbahce badge, the supporters of the Turkish juggernauts can make incredible noise for their team. While some critics might point to only having a modest following during the Regular Season, these hardcore women's basketball fans who do always show up are still capable of making a great atmosphere. Then, whenever the team gets to the latter stages of a competition, the swell in support is seriously amazing - both in terms of the sheer number of fans and the deafening noise they can make. 

Galatasaray

Firstly reminding Galatasaray fans that this list is only in alphabetical order (before my Twitter is melted down with complaints), the other Istanbul giant is also included for almost the exact same reasons as their fierce and bitter city rivals. They too are famous all over the world for their support for all things Gala, while their hardcore women's basketball followers show so much love for their team. Plus, when Galatasaray do edge towards silverware, their ranks also swell to eye-popping numbers as we have seen many times, especially during that absolutely stunning EuroCup Women success a few years ago.

Perfumerias Avenida

It is still on my basketball bucket list - to go to Salamanca and be inside Pabellon Wurzburg watching a game one day. To my own discredit, I have somehow managed to avoid it so far! With a big reputation and long tradition in the women's game, the supporters of the Spanish club, known as the 'Blue Tide' are  never anything less than intense. They almost always turn out and I am not sure that on average, if any other fans are quite as deafening in their support.

From cheers and singing, to the whistling and jeering of opponents and sometimes the officials if they feel their team is being short-changed with calls, it is a white-hot atmosphere.  If you want to know just how impactful the fans are, I might be thousands of miles away on a EuroLeague Women game night watching the action, but with the sound turned up, you get beautifully immersed into any Avenida game and always feel like you are there. 

ACS Sepsi

Perhaps not on the radar of everyone, ACS Sepsi are multiple Romanian domestic champions who have been making some positive strides in EuroCup Women during these recent seasons.  A few years ago, I truly began to discover just how passionate the people of Sfantu Gheorghe were for women's hoops. I have been mesmerized by the love and support they are showing for their team and the club has done a great job with highlighting this. Seeing the green and white flag displays and the fans chanting for their favorites has been a big thrill and I hope they can continue to make progress in European competitions, since I like it when a big fanbase is rewarded with success and the best possible basketball.

UMMC Ekaterinburg

This might be slightly controversial because I am acutely aware of how the club, through their sponsors, have assisted in boosting crowds at the DIVS Arena. However, I have always enjoyed and been impressed with the noise made by those who have been in attendance an,  to be honest, it is massively important to me that the most dominant club in Europe have fans who can make a great atmosphere, including at the biggest games and especially at Final Four, which is almost a perennial trip for them. UMMC fans have also had disappointments by the way, but never stopped cheering or supporting their team. I also had one of my most surreal experiences in Ekaterinburg when hundreds of UMMC fans were all wearing Sue Bird masks, so there is a sense of fun about them too. 

I must also mention a wealth of other honorable mentions outside of this top six. There are too many clubs to mention and to go through in full so apologies to those I don't list, but I will give a special shout out to Spar Girona, ESBVA-LM, DVTK Miskolc and KSC Szekszard for example.

So, after all of that, you don't expect me to actually choose do you? Okay, go on then, I will give this coveted crown to the fans of Perfumerias Avenida. 

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.