Average Attendances 1990/91 to 1999/2000 (all clubs) A project is underway to compile a database of every League attendance.
From 1888 to 1925 we are largely in the hands of the newspaper reporters of each game. Many of their match reports begin "there were about 3,000 present at the start of the game". There are many reasons why these figures may be inaccurate. The reporter would not have had the time for an accurate count. In the early days, grounds did not have grandstands on all four sides, so it was difficult to judge the "depth" of spectators behind the boundary rope. Kick-off times in the early days were rather "flexible", so many spectators may have arrived after the start. Two reporters watching the same game may give widely different figures.
When clubs started to declare gate receipts a more accurate figure is possible. If we know there was a "six penny" or "one shilling" admission fee, we can deduce the number in attendance. The true figure would be higher of course, due to season ticket sales and complementary tickets.
For the 1925/26 season, the Football League made it mandatory for the club secretary to declare the actual attendance and gate receipts from each game. The "season ticket" problem meant that secretaries had to apportion the value of these tickets across each game, and adjust the attendance accordingly. Consequently, the "official figure" supplied to the League may not be the same as the figure given to the media on the day of the game.
When the database is complete we will be able to provide more analysis like the tables below.
Average Attendances 1990/91 to 1999/2000 (all clubs)
The Top 20 1990/91 and 1999/2000: A Comparison
These pages are © Tony Brown and Brian Tabner, 2001. They may only be reproduced with permission.