Skip to main content

An attendances paradox

The National League North and South divisions offer a similar level of football, but the North attracts far higher attendances. It has ten teams with average attendances of over 1,000 whereas the south divisions has no teams with an attendance above 1,000 (Dartford is top with 909).

Part of the explanation must be the presence of former Football League teams in the North division who have managed to hold on to a considerable portion of their core support. Stockport County still manage average attendances of 3,135 (despite Premier and Football League options nearby) while recently relegated York City attract 2,825. Next comes a rather special club, FC United of Manchester with 1,825 while Salford City with its high profile backers attracts 1,643. Then come another two Football League clubs, Kidderminster Harriers (1,533) and Darlington (1,511).

A similar pattern can be seen in the National League itself with four former Football League clubs heading the attendance table, headed by Tranmere Rovers with an impressive 5,058, followed by Wrexham, Leyton Orient and Hartlepool United.

However, this does not offer a complete explanation as there are three non-league clubs in the North division that have never played in the Football League but still attract average attendances of over 1,000: Chorley, AFC Telford and Harrogate Town. They are followed by two one time Football League clubs who have not held on to their support and have average attendances of around 1,000: Boston United and Southport.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Chloe4 March 2018 at 06:38

    I think the higher attendances in NLN are helped by a larger away following of those ex league clubs you mention helping to push Chorley, Telford and Harrogate's attendances above the 1,000 mark.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12 April 2023 at 05:00

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous12 April 2023 at 05:00

    Accessibility plays a part I feel

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fulham requires big funding from owner

After lengthy delays, Fulham’s shiny, new Riverside Stand has finally opened, creating “a unique Thameside destination with first class facilities for supporters and partners on match days, as well as for the wider community year-round”. This ambitious project has increased Craven Cottage’s capacity by around 4,000 to 29,600, while it has also taken advantage of the club’s fantastic location and wealthy catchment area by including two Michelin star restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, corporate hospitality and event space, all benefiting from views of the Thames. Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh observed, “Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane.” Indeed, there is also an exclusive members club – with a football season ticket as an optional extra. It’s fair to say that “the times they are a-changing”, as this is a long way from the traditional pie and a pint. However, in a world where clubs face the tw...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's no deal say Spurs insiders over Taiwanese takeover

Senior figures at Tottenham Hotspur insisted on Friday that they had not been informed of any deal to sell Daniel Levy’s stake in the club. A business group, Eight Sports Capital — which is said to include a billionaire Taiwanese financier — claimed that it had an agreement in place to buy a 24.99 per cent stake in ENIC, the club’s majority owners, from Levy, who owns 29.88 per cent. The Times has been told Ng Wing Fai and Brooklyn Earick form part of the group, having both been linked previously to potential takeovers of the Premier League club. The Taiwanese businessman, Richard Tsai, is also said to be part of the consortium. He is reportedly worth £7 billion.  Last year Earick, the former DJ and tech entrepreneur, was part of an attempted £4.5 billion takeover, which was “unequivocally rejected” by Spurs.  An ENIC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that neither ENIC nor THFC are aware of any sale by Daniel Levy’s Family Trust of its minority stake in ENIC, THFC’...
Post a Comment
Read more

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...
1 comment
Read more