Article Taxonomy: Attendances

Articles on attendances and spectator numbers in football – soccer.

Football Attendances and Success

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Success on the pitch clearly boosts attendances, as does bringing in a star player, most recently illustrated by the case of Edgar Davids at Barnet.  But are football attendances a stronger influence on success than the other way round?

The evidence seems to suggest that a large fanbase is a prerequisite for long-term success in England. Data from the National Football Archive website suggests that there is a remarkably close correlation between a table that ranks clubs by their success since 1888 and one that ranks attendances.

Bargain basement football

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The recent financial troubles of Hereford United raise questions about just how much it does cost to run a club in the lower divisions, interpreted here to mean League 2 and the Conference.

Consider wages first.   I have been told not that a not untypical wage in the Conference is £500 a week. Interestingly that is equivalent to the median gross (before tax) wage in the UK which was £501 a week in 2011 (and probably hasn’t changed much since then).

The price is right

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Tonights game between England and San Marino at Wembley is a sell out.   This in spite of the fact that the microstate surrounded by Italy is the joint worst team in the world (they rank 207th alongside the Turks & Caicos islands).   No doubt England fans will be hoping to see some goals, although it should be remembered that San Marino also have eleven men on the pitch and getting through a crowded goalmouth is not easy.

Bulls hit financial trouble

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Relegation from League 2 to the Conference has produced financial challenges for Hereford United and part-time football is one of the options being considered.  However, most Conference sides are now full time and such a move could undermine a push for promotion.   The Bulls are currently 12th out of 24 teams.

Wales, rugby and football

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The Welsh Premier League is a bit of a cinderella in the world of non-league football.   This is reflected in the rather limited coverage it gets in The Non-League Paper and low attendances.   These are compounded by the fact that two of the leading non-league teams in the principality, Wrexham and Newport County, play in the Conference.

The plight of Midlands football

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A few weeks ago we published a story about Aston Villa which made some comparisons with West Bromwich Albion.  A Villa fan took exception, pointing out that Villa still draw bigger crowds, even if they have declined.

The decline of Villa

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Aston Villa have the potential to be the leading regional club in the Midlands, but it is a potential that has not been realised in the last 30 years since they were European champions.

Randy Lerner was welcomed as an owner.  It was seen as an end to the austerity and lack of hope of the final years of the Ellis regime.   Lerner was seen as one of the better foreign owners.  For a time he walked the walk as well as talking the talk.