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Premier League attendances hit new high

If there was ever any doubt that fans would return to English Premier League matches after lockdown, the numbers prove that fandom survived the pandemic.

An average of almost 39,600 people attended the first 204 league games of the season, according to sports marketing agency Two Circles, putting the League on course to achieve record attendance figures this season, as reported in the FT this week.

That’s more than welcome to the division’s 20 clubs, which lost out on £1.3bn of broadcast and match-day revenues across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, during which fans were largely barred from stadiums because of coronavirus restrictions.

Whereas broadcast deals are centrally negotiated by the league itself, clubs are responsible for their own ticket sales and the delicate balance between lucrative “posh” seats in hospitality and the price of standard admission.

As noted by football finance guru Kieran Maguire, clubs have been operating at close to full capacity for some time, so meaningful matchday revenue increases in future seasons are hard to achieve.

Despite the risk of further lockdowns or limits on fan attendance, clubs have their eye on expansion. Manchester United is weighing up a modernisation of its 73,050-capacity stadium — the biggest in the league — that could include the addition of several thousand seats.

As United is a listed company, the Glazer family must weigh up the impact on the share price and future returns, and whether additional ticket sales can help the club compete against Abu Dhabi-backed champions Manchester City and Chelsea when paying to buy players and fund their wages. Liverpool  is adding 7,000 seats to Anfield.

The motives are different for other clubs. Everton is building an entire new stadium, while Leicester City has also set out plans to expand its home ground. Both clubs could use the extra revenues to bolster their ambitions of challenging to finish in the top four, guaranteeing participation in the lucrative Uefa Champions League, the most prestigious Europe-wide club competition. Also in that bracket is West Ham, which has also been granted permission to increase capacity.

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