How are attendances at Premier League clubs being affected, if at all, by the Credit Crunch this season?
Based on research compiled by EPL Talk comparing the percentage difference between the average attendance season to date and last season’s average attendance, we can reveal that average attendances haven’t been affected that much at all, which is a feather in the cap to the Premier League during these tough economic times.
Here are the results from best to worst:
- Stoke City, 63% increase in average attendance
- Hull City, 35.1% increase
- West Bromwich Albion, 16.7% increase
- Bolton Wanderers, 8.3% increase
- Middlesbrough, 8.3% increase
- Fulham, 3% increase
- Manchester City, 1.8% increase
- Chelsea, 0.6% increase
- Liverpool, 0.6% increase
- Tottenham Hotspur, 0.1% increase
- Arsenal, 0%
- Portsmouth, 0.1% decrease
- Manchester United, 0.3% decrease
- Everton, 0.9% decrease
- Aston Villa, 1.3% decrease
- Blackburn Rovers, 2.7% decrease
- West Ham United, 3.1% decrease
- Wigan Athletic, 6.6% decrease
- Sunderland, 6.9% decrease
- Newcastle United, 8% decrease
Newcastle United’s attendances this season have decreased by 8% but that has more to do with the boycott against Newcastle owner Mike Ashley than the Credit Crunch. Surprisingly, attendances for Sunderland have been down almost 7% compared to last season. This is in despite of Roy Keane buying lots of new players.
While newly promoted clubs Stoke, Hull and West Brom have not surprisingly seen large increases in their average attendances, full credit must go to Bolton, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Manchester City fans for attending home games in larger numbers this season.
