EPL Attendance Slightly Off From '07-08; Bolton Up 12.8% To Date
English Premier League (EPL) clubs are averaging 35,461 fans per match this season, slightly down from the same period a year ago. Manchester United continues to lead all clubs, but is slightly off from their mark through 14 matches last season. Bolton has seen the biggest jump this season, up 12.6% at Reebok Stadium. Sunderland and Newcastle United are seeing the biggest drops at the gate, off 6.7% and 6.4%, respectively, from a year ago. After playing last season in the Football League Championship (FLC), Stoke City's promotion to the EPL has led to a 10,000-plus jump in average attendance this season, though the team remains on the bubble for relegation for '09-10. If the season were to end today, Blackburn, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion would be relegated, while Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Reading would be promoted from the FLC. The chart below lists attendance for all EPL clubs through February 23, with comparisons to the same period a year ago (THE DAILY).
|
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE ATTENDANCE THROUGH FEBRUARY 23
|
|
CLUB
|
MATCHES
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
% CAP.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
'07-08
MATCHES
|
|
Manchester United
|
13
|
978,510
|
75,270
|
98.6%
|
75,624
|
-0.5%
|
14
|
|
Arsenal
|
13
|
780,221
|
60,017
|
99.3%
|
60,058
|
-0.1%
|
14
|
|
Newcastle United
|
13
|
621,673
|
47,821
|
91.3%
|
51,087
|
-6.4%
|
15
|
| Liverpool |
13
|
566,943
|
43,611
|
96.1%
|
43,535
|
0.2%
|
13
|
| Manchester City |
13
|
560,872
|
43,144
|
90.4%
|
42,475
|
1.6%
|
14
|
| Chelsea |
13
|
540,410
|
41,570
|
98.8%
|
41,632
|
-0.1%
|
13
|
| Sunderland |
13
|
513,994
|
39,538
|
80.7%
|
42,378
|
-6.7%
|
13
|
| Aston Villa |
13
|
513,656
|
39,512
|
92.7%
|
39,646
|
-0.3%
|
14
|
| Tottenham Hotspur |
13
|
467,194
|
35,938
|
99.2%
|
35,895
|
0.1%
|
12
|
| Everton |
13
|
460,018
|
35,386
|
88.1%
|
36,932
|
-4.2%
|
13
|
| West Ham United |
13
|
436,436
|
33,572
|
95.1%
|
34,635
|
-3.1%
|
13
|
| Middlesbrough |
13
|
358,462
|
27,574
|
78.6%
|
26,700
|
3.3%
|
13
|
| Stoke City* |
13
|
351,338
|
27,026
|
96.5%
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| West Bromwich Albion* |
13
|
335,543
|
25,811
|
101.6%
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Hull City* |
13
|
322,361
|
24,797
|
97.6%
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Fulham |
12
|
289,680
|
24,140
|
98.1%
|
23,248
|
3.8%
|
14
|
| Blackburn |
13
|
303,446
|
23,342
|
74.4%
|
23,572
|
-1.0%
|
14
|
| Bolton |
13
|
292,734
|
22,518
|
80.8%
|
19,997
|
12.6%
|
14
|
| Portsmouth |
13
|
254,696
|
19,592
|
96.9%
|
19,958
|
-1.8%
|
13
|
| Wigan Athletic |
13
|
236,210
|
18,170
|
72.3%
|
18,798
|
-3.3%
|
13
|
| TOTALS |
259
|
9,184,397
|
35,461
|
91.4%
|
36,030
|
-1.6%
|
268
|
NOTES: * = Played in the FLC last season, where West Bromwich Albion averaged 22,311 fans per match, Hull City averaged 18,024 and Stoke City averaged 16,823 fans. All figures for EPL from '07-08 include Derby County, Birmingham and Reading, who were relegated after the season. Each club had hosted 13 EPL matches through this point last season.
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