Average Attendances in Premier League

If you wonder why clubs such as Portsmouth, Chelsea, Spurs, Everton and Liverpool are planning or considering moving into new stadiums in the near future, take a look at the chart below featuring the average attendances in the Premier League for the 2007-2008 season, as of November 5, 2007 (Happy Guy Fawkes Day, by the way):

1. Manchester United, Old Trafford, 75,614
2. Arsenal, Emirates Stadium, 60,021
3. Newcastle United, St. James’ Park, 50,778
4. Liverpool, Anfield, 44,065
5. Manchester City, City of Manchester Stadium, 42,278
6. Sunderland, Stadium of Light, 41,906
7. Chelsea, Stamford Bridge, 41,564
8. Aston Villa, Villa Park, 39,950
9. Everton, Goodison Park, 36,587
10. Tottenham Hotspur, White Hart Lane, 35,910
11. West Ham United, Boleyn Ground, 34,469
12. Derby County, Pride Park, 32,172
13. Middlesbrough, Riverside Stadium, 26,809
14. Birmingham City, St. Andrews, 26,434
15. Blackburn Rovers, Ewood Park, 23,346
16. Reading, Madejski Stadium, 23,161
17. Fulham, Craven Cottage, 22,310
18. Bolton Wanderers, Reebok Stadium, 21,047
19. Portsmouth, Fratton Park, 19,727
20. Wigan Athletic, JJB Stadium, 18,439

The average attendance so far this season is 35,901.

It’s interesting to see a club such as Sunderland, who have a very passionate and loyal fanbase, are above teams such as Chelsea, Spurs and Everton. Part of the reason is because Sunderland play in a ground that has a 49,000 capacity, while Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton can’t fit any more people in their grounds.

At the bottom of the chart, it’s no surprise to see Wigan who continually struggle to bring fans in as many of the residents in the area prefer rugby league to soccer.