Attendances at the Reebok Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 29,000, peaked at an average of 26,718 in 2003-4. Since then they have been on a falling trend despite pricing policies which mean that an adult season ticket holder can pay just £15 per match and an under-18 less than £2.50. Chelsea are the next team to visit the Reebok and a teenager can enjoy a whole season there for the price of just one match at Stamford Bridge.
Attendances at the Reebok Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 29,000, peaked at an average of 26,718 in 2003-4. Since then they have been on a falling trend despite pricing policies which mean that an adult season ticket holder can pay just £15 per match and an under-18 less than £2.50. Chelsea are the next team to visit the Reebok and a teenager can enjoy a whole season there for the price of just one match at Stamford Bridge.
Attendances this season are just 23,813, despite two of the home games being against Manchester City and Manchester United. Bolton are currently bottom of the table. One shouldn’t read too much into that. As a Bolton fan pointed out on 606 on Saturday they have started with some tough matches against top clubs and shouldn’t be judged until the end of November. Nevertheless, relegation would undoubtedly hit attendances further.
Two of the three bottom spots are currently occupied by north-west clubs, Blackburn Rovers being the other. When the maximum wage and transfer restrictions were abolished, it was argued that the Lancashire towns would lose top flight football as it would no longer be possible for Blackpool to hold on to a Stanley Matthews or Preston a Tom Finney. A footballing decline was inevitable just as Lancashire lost the textile industry (which eroded its economic base). It is the case that Blackpool, Burnley and Preston are no longer in the top flight, although Burnley has punched above its weight against a depressing economic backcloth, as we have argued before.
Nevertheless, twenty seasons ago in the last year of the old first division, Lancashire was represented by just the Manchester and Liverpool clubs and Oldham Athletic. Oldham are now in League 1, but Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan are all in the top flight. Over a third of the Premiership comes from the north-west. How long this stays the case remains to be seen, but there must be short odds on one Lancashire club going down this season.